W A R OF H E A R T S
by Devilishasshole
Summary: Two brothers unknowingly fall in love with the same girl.
1. Our First Letter

**A/N- I'm sorry. To make it up to you all I'll upload every chapter tonight. ^_^**

* * *

_Dear AssassinRaven,_

_Hi. I know it would be very brazen of me to began our first acquaintance, as everyone's calling it today, with a complaint but here is the first thing you should know about me;_

_I'm good at complaining it's been my thing for as long as I can remember and it gets me my way sixty-seven percent of the time._

_What I'm not so good at is writing to strangers(if you haven't noticed)._

_No offense, it's nothing personal I just, hate that our high school English class has been reduced to something I've done in the sixth grade._

_We wrote convict's back then, I had no idea what I was supposed to write...would something like, 'what's your favorite weapon to use on your victims' do or should I take the_

_mercenary approach and ask if I could borrow their blueprints on how to make a shiv from scratch. I know what your thinking but it would have really made my show-n-tell_

_presentation stand out._

_Eventually I wound up asking the guy what his favorite cookie was but I received a note back saying that he had passed._

_I cried because I was the only kid who didn't receive a cool letter back._

_Well, gosh, sorry to babble...I have a tendency to talk during a time of awkwardness, my mom calls it my charm._

_I call it a bad habit._

_I'm sure you've had enough of my pathetic ramblings._

_According to the Pen Pal rules I have to ask you what's your favorite color, where do you live? Feel free to proclaim yourself dead if you want nothing to do with this._

_Since I'll be a bother to you for more letters to come, I guess it's only fair that you ask anything you like._

_-Your PePa,_

_CherryKlutz_

* * *

_Dear CherryKlutz,_

_I agree with your mom and boldness is very attractive in a women, if I'm not being too presumptuous, I notice you wrote that you were in high school._

_I should be in high school as well but things didn't work out that way but that's life an unending plot until death, it makes things interesting._

_Your letter definitely made my day feel a bit less shitty, it's nice to have a women write me for once, I haven't been around one in months it gets depressing._

_It's been awhile since I felt motivated enough to want to write back to someone, where I am no one see's much use in it._

_I used to live in Konohagakure, Japan awhile ago but that's changed too. My occupation has pulled me in several places,_

_I'm not allowed to share that information with you but I can say that it's in the middle of no damn where, does that help a little?_

_Man, no one has asked me that question since kindergarten, I'll have to say red, I hate it less than blue._

_I would never lie about my death just to get rid of you, my Pa used to say taking death upon your tongue draws death near._

_I'm not in that much of a rush to go to hell._

_So I guess my questions would be to you..._

_Where do you live, how do you look and what's your idea of a good time?_

_I'll be expectin to hear from you again...Cherry._

_-A.R_

* * *

**FIVE YEARS LATER...**

"HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE, HAPPY VALLIES DAY!"

_Its that time of the year again..._

She loathed the hospital during sentimental holidays, people tended to get very competitive where admires and gifts were involved.

Sakura tried to steer clear of the showy cupid decor and the valentines day drama queens, mainly the nurses, whom basically covered every inch of their desks in fluffy bears baring confessional hearts or melodies, bouquets of roses and heart shaped boxes of chocolate.

They often bragged about how steady their married life was amongst themselves and seem to pity the singles like Sakura, enough to offer them a piece of chocolate or a pity rose. Their newest scheme was something called, 'Secret Valentine.'

All the women who worked in the hospital dropped their name into a hat and the male staff would pick a name out and whoever they withdrew would be their secret admirer. In which, they would shower gifts and praise to that women and the married nurses didn't have to feel guilty about their little games anymore because now it had become the highlight of February.

_I would have taken the pity chocolate over this.._

"HAPPY VALENTINES DAY...LADIES WE HAVE SPECIAL DELIVERIES FROM OUR DOCTORS AND MALE NURSES!"

Sakura tucked a patience's chart under her arm and paused in the lobby to watch the cart of gifts roll in by a head committee leader, Karin. She was wearing her usual scrubs for this time of the month a picture of she and her husband faces inside of a heart shaped locket, kissing, the locket was a gift that she wore proudly every chance she got but it seems there was another way to take it to the extremes. Getting your scrubs personalized to bug the fuck out of the people you work with.

Sakura sighed watching a few people disperse to help Karin carry out the gift giving.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh JOY!..." someone feigned excitement beside her, Sakura knew the voice to be her best friend, Ino Yamanaka. She smiled and then shook her head.

"You almost sounded really happy that time." Sakura teased

"I really was...happy that I did NOT put my name in there this time, not after last year when that creep brought me a wedding ring." she stated in an exasperated low.

Sakura furrowed a brow.

"You were dating that creep..."

"True but he really put me in a difficult position Sak."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yes because having your high school sweetheart propose to you in front of all of your colleagues is such a heinous thing, he should be lashed!"

"No, he might like that and he's freaky enough."

"TMI...keep your sex life under the sheets!" Sakura called out to her. Ino chuckled, licking a stain of chocolate from the corner of her lips. She then offered her friend a chocolate doused strawberry impaled with a plastic stick.

"I heart you Sakura Haruno, be mineeeeeeee..." she said in a love struck voice, mimicking Sakura's last year valentine. Then in a lower voice,"Since you wont be nobody else..."

Sakura put a hand to her chest and gasped.

"For me." Sakura batted her lashes. "You really shouldn't have, torn through your edible arrangements basket from your hubby...especially since I've given up on chocolate and sticky stuff."

Ino withdrew her offer and took a savage bite out of the strawberry top.

"I renounce my affections!" she shouted dramatically deterred and Sakura couldn't help but to snort out a laugh.

"Good because you may be hot but I still prefer a dose of cock."

"Mmmm, you and me both Sakura, you and me both.." she mused in assent.

"Sakura Haruno!...You have been shot in the ass with an arrow!" Karin proclaimed holding up a basket that Sakura only assumed was hers. "Come on down!" Karin urged hopping on her toes like a content little bunny.

Sakura stared tormented at Ino, who pushed her along encouragingly with a smug grin.

"It may be something useful, go get it!"

Sakura placed the chart in Ino's hand and the began to amble through the crowd, her heels still seemed to cluck despite the carpet that met her every footfall.

People whistled and cheered as if she were getting the Nobel Peace Prize or a Grammy Award winning actress. For a moment she wanted to think of herself as excepting one of those great awards but this was a far cry

from those kind of accomplishments.

_This was the pity prize, the M.T.V award when you couldn't get a Grammy._

Oh Sakura, its not that bad...and like Ino said...it could be something useful. You did get a bottle of fine wine last year...and international cheese...together those things tasted heavenly. Please let it be cheese...

Karin had her wild red hair twisted into a stylish ponytail and pin downed with chop sticks, she smelled like white diamonds and baby lotion.

_I guess that's to be expected, she has a kid, or two._

The nurses brigade stood at Karin's flank staring at Sakura as if she were a defenseless child.

"Here you go Sakura don't get too sick off that chocolate, it's addicting!" she crooned.

Sakura grabbed hold of the basket filled with an assortment of chocolate delicacies from different parts of the country. The cold wrapping rustled with her every adjustment and she nodded towards Karin.

"It'll probably live on display in my apartment, I've given up chocolate."

"That's ridiculous Sakura, your only twenty-three years old it's no time to deprive your taste buds.."

Sakura only shrugged and then walked back to Ino, who was directing a couple to the pediatric wing of the hospital.

"Damn, some one brought you up the candy shop...there's like a thousand different pieces of chocolate in there...well then, I know who's office I'll be in."

"HA-HA, if you want em knock yourself out."

Ino grinned.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I really don't need this much chocolate."

"You know what you need Sakura?"

She began as they swamped the basket and the chart, the two began walking down the corridor and Sakura sighed.

"What do I need Ino?" she droaned.

"You need a blind date."

Sakura nearly choked.

"A what...no thanks, anything that's blind can't be good."

"Sakura c'mon!" Ino shouted. "What else are you doing today?...it's Valentines and day and your going to go home and..."

She pushed waiting for Sakura to supply her with an answer.

"...I'm going to relax...and..."

"write that guy that you've been writing since high school...Sakura...he hasn't written you back in years...why do you refuse to let go, the guy was in the air force who knows where the hell he is now."

Sakura clutched the chart to her chest and sighed.

_It was true...he stopped writing a year ago and every since then, I've continued a one sided conversation. Sending the letters to the address that had always been on the letters I received from him. I never did handle rejection well._

_I hate when the pig is right._

Sakura grimaced.

"I know you really liked him Sakura but you have to know when your torturing yourself and you are, every moment that you go home waiting for a response, every Valentines day that you reject an offer."

"I know, I know..."

Ino sighed and rubbed at the end of her blond ponytail.

"Just...double date with Nara and I tonight ok, I know a guy who you just might hit it off with...give it a try, k?"

Sakura considered it, she hadn't dated in months and she could afford a change of scenery from her apartment.

"Ok." she said resigned

Ino squealed.

"Hell ya! tonight we rave!"


	2. Our Second Letter

_Dear AssassinRaven,_

_Sorry I didn't write back last week, I had a lot going on. Did you cry?_

_How do I look?_

_Well, I'm not allowed to share that information with you but I can say I'm not that ugly, does that help? lol, see how it feels for someone to answer your question with utter bullshit :p._

_But, I won't hold it against you...maybe it's top secret...so I'll let it slide this time ._

_How can you hate blue? :D it's a universal color...it's like saying you hate pizza. Do you hate pizza? _

_If so, don't write back. lol jk..._

_That must suck, not seeing a women anywhere. I bet it's like being in jail...but hopefully not as desperate, if you know what I mean o_o...you don't...butt rape men right? I'm sorry I asked that, I'm forward...I'm a lot of crazy in a small body. I think I get it from my mom. She's a very crazy chick so it's not that surprising that she rubbed off.I've spent my whole life trying not to let that happen. I failed, miserably._

_What's your occupation? I know your in the Military, I mean that's who the teacher said we were writing to. What branch are you in? What's it like...are you..like deployed?_

_Okay, lol, I think I just asked like forty questions...that should give you something to think about...soldier. :} Anyway I hope your in a good place because I hear things are pretty nasty out there. I'm not a big fan of the news and war, I actually keep my nose out of the government. I don't even know who the president is._

_The news is really depressing...I like not knowing, I'm a sucker for surprises._

_So surprise me...if you can._

_I live in Konoha, Japan as well! How strange is that, I've probably seen you around plenty of times...small world._

_Well I must go, I bet your already regretting writing me back. I'll give you another chance to disappear..._

_Tell me about yourself...what are your likes and dislikes..._

_Ps- A good time for me is a moment that I cannot get out of my mind, I have yet to have one of those times. Konoha sucks, I would like to see the world, I plan to leave here as soon as I get enough loot to run._

_-Your PePa,_

_CherryKlutz_

* * *

_Dear CherryKlutz_,

_Tears are useless. You can't resist writing me...I knew you'd write back eventually, no worries._

_I bet your a sight to see. Don't be modest with me. Well in my case any women would be a sight to see. Like a fine cup of water in the desert. At least send me a picture, if your not going to describe yourself. Make the other guys envy me by sending me a picture of your face...not that ugly will due. :)_

_Hm, like Jail...that's not a bad way to look at it but there isn't much ass around here lately. My job, doesn't exactly call for a group of men to be together. It's a lone job...I tend to break off from the group from time to time to do my own bidding. It's necessary that I take the initiative to be my own enemy, think in the way that most people wouldn't...if I weren't able to be my own worse enemy I'd be blown to bits somewhere. _

_War makes us think like killers not rapist but who knows maybe it runs through a few minds from time to time. It surely runs through yours._

_Unfortunately the same thing has happened to me, my father, he was this man that I always looked up to but I wanted to be better than him. I did everything like him, I listened to the way he talked...the way he dealt with his issues. When he died I wanted to take his place. It worked for awhile but eventually, I realized that we were two different people. He wasn't the man who I grew up thinking he was and I wasn't the son that he thought I was..._

_There's only one you in the world, Cherry and I'm positive your nothing like your mother._

_I'm an Air Force Shinobi...but I'm special ops...I can't tell you any more than that. It's a risk, I hope you understand._

_I'm in the heart of the war, in Suna and your right it is pretty fucked up here but I expected nothing less. I haven't showered in seven months and it's pretty exhausting but I'm not dead so I suppose I have no room to bitch._

_Well I'm sorry to make this short, I haven't even answered all of your questions or asked any of my own but I have to move out. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write back but I'll put pen to paper as soon as I have spare time._

_Ps- I hope you like the picture. I was seventeen, a year ago. Surprise...cherry._

_-A.R_

* * *

"How many times are you going to call him Ino, it's really okay if he bailed...to be honest I really wasn't expecting fireworks tonight...so you can cease fir-."

Ino, abruptly, thrust her palm in front of the pink haired women's scowling face to keep her quiet and leaned her face into her cellphone. Shikamaru Nara stood behind his wife with his arms snaked around her waist, his chin rested on her head of blond hair and he stared out into the street sleepily, with a yawn.

"Resistance is futile Sakura, come hell or high water she'll get him here...trust me, it may be a drag but she's persistent, unfortunately...for men."

"That must be why your out tonight, I bet you had no idea."

"None, that's the story of our marriage. I don't know shit."

Sakura chuckled.

"I'm so sorry Shika..."

"I'll be alright I TiVoed the game of Shoji for later on tonight when she's passed the hell out..." he informed Sakura, putting his index finger over his lips with a small grin. Sakura shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

She could tell that going out tonight wasn't his idea. _When was going out ever his idea? S_he had known Ino's hubby well enough to know that a date for him was laying on the trampoline at night watching the stars and falling into a stupor. Ino had gushed about how romantic it would have been to spend their honeymoon at a hotel or going broke in Vegas but Shikamaru wasn't rolling in enough dough to loose any so he decorated the backyard and took a shot at not being killed by Ino, the women he had decided to spend the rest of his life with.

His life expectancy was twenty-three.

_Sometimes I can't believe he showed up on their wedding day..._

"Oh, what a daredevil...I don't think Ino's going to like that, tonight they're showing Sex In the City re-run's." Sakura reminded him with furrowed brows.

Shikamaru smiled a little and then sighed reverently.

"Like I said, she'll be so fucked up tonight she won't remember how to walk...let alone the channel it's on."

Sakura chuckled and dug her hands into her pockets, Ino was a bit of an infamous drunk on momentous occasions such as these that involved dancing and drinking. One would assume she was a drunkard but make no mistakes these were the only times she could be caught holding a 40 and dancing on table tops to some club remix or diving head first into a random brawl that had nothing to do with her.

_Yes, she was one of those girls..._

Sakura shivered thinking of the last time they went out together for New Years Eve. She and Shikamaru endured an entire solo of slurred vocals and horrible choreography to Lady GaGa's Alejandro.

_Word's cannot describe..._

She sighed and watched Ino break free from Shikamaru's grasp.

"WHERE ARE YOU UCHIHA...THIS IS A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION YOU BASTARD!"

She was shouting savagely, her fist bald up at her side.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and licked his lips.

"I bet you he'll be here in thirty minutes."

Shikamaru said in a dead pan voice.

"More like thirty seconds."

Sakura responded, watching the car's dash on the narrow road. She could hear the speaker pumping out techno from the club behind them, she watched women clad in dark spandex cross the street and make their way past she and Shikamaru.

"...na he's pretty stubborn himself...he'll take his sweet ass time, just to piss Ino off."

Shikamaru responded, he was attentive and clearly aware of the two busty women who smiled at him invitingly, he spun around to watch them walk off.

He made a noise of appreciation.

"I guess the freaks really do come out at night."

Sakura only sighed and closed her eyes.

_This was pretty embarrassing, once again I'm the third wheel...because I know this guy isn't going to show. Everyone runs from blind dates...especially those who don't even know they're gonna get thrust into one. I bet Ino just ambushed some poor guy in Family Mart and blackmailed him._

_That is her style...making people think she knew their dirty pleasures._

_I could've been at home right now, watching some good ol Adult Swim and cuddled up with Hiko, my snugly fluffikins. Oh well, I guess I let Ino talk me into yet another threesome with she and her husband._

_Pathetic as it was...I was getting used to this. It was like being in a pack, I was accepting that I would never find an alpha of my own._

_I bet Karin is having the time of her life, Valentines day is probably like Christmas for she and her husband. Tossed the children to the sitter and live the day like some fairytale._

_I hate married women..._

"So, what's this guy like...I mean, do you know him?"

Sakura asked Shikamaru as she tucked a strand of hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear. It was a bit windy out and she had just gotten over a cold two weeks ago.

Shikamaru kicked at the sidewalk and stared at the back of Ino as she roamed around shouting in the distance like a mad women. Barking at Sakura's mysterious suitor.

"Ya, I know him...very well, he's a play boy.."

"Him not being here is starting to make more and more sense to me now..."

Shikamaru sighed impatiently and bounced on his toes with a lazy shrug.

"He's not as bad as he used to be...I'm sure there's a logical explanation for why he's not here...he did tell Ino he couldn't be sure that he'd actually make it. But you know crazy tit's...everything is a green light in her eyes."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Don't I know it...Hey, I'm gonna go inside and get a few drinks in me...can yo-"

"I'm with you, she'll come in when she's realizes the battle is lost."

"Don't hold your breath."

They both chuckled and ventured off into the brilliantly lit neon club, people lingered outside of the doors, sipping from cub's of lime and cherry. Sakura sighed and before she entered the joint decided to step out of her usual mindset for the night.

_Who knows...it could be fun to forget my life for a minute. I deserved this! I work all week, I deserved a chance to play, to forget about my life for one measly minute. _

_Maybe tonight is the night that Valentines day isn't as dreadful as it usual is. I'm sure their are people in here just like me, single people who are just out and about having the time of their lives. You don't have to be married to have fun..._

_Good girl Sakura, just keep that thought going._

The thought was short lived.

The club was filled to the rim in red and pink. Balloon hearts were trapped beneath the ceiling and some wrapped around the backs of chairs. There were feathery decorations of cupid taped to the walls and all and all it just looked like Valentines day puked everywhere.

Sakura nearly ran back out of the door but Shikamaru ushered her forward, his palm against her back as he chuckled at the scene.

"Damn, did Karin decorate here too?" He joked.

Sakura didn't laugh, that didn't sound like such a bad theory. All she was waiting for was the fiery head diva to come towards them in a custom made red dress of she and her husband mooching.

"Today feels like a nightmare, I swear." She murmured.

Once they got to the serving table where most people were sitting on stools awaiting their poison Sakura began to peel off her beige trench coast. She hadn't been particularly ready to reveal the trashy get up that Ino had insisted she wore but it was already turning into a heat wave and she didn't like feeling clammy.

Shikamaru hopped onto an empty stool and pulled out the one beside her.

"The seesaw awaits your bottom madam." he joked, tugging his legend of Zelda wallet out of his jacket pocket and pulling out a few dollar bills.

Sakura slid up onto the suede stool top and smiled.

"What will it be...wanna take a few shots of jello, think you can handle that?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Let's find out." she joked and allowed herself to smile at him.

Music thudding in her ears, glasses and bottles clashing against the table. She sat up straight in her seat and tried to fix the lacy straps of her dark and formfitting dress.

It only took sitting to make her show more skin then she would have liked. the back of her thigh's rubbed against the suede of the stool top when she leaned forward into the table.

"Thanks for leaving me...bitches!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Ino, hobbling over in her too high red heels. She came stared at Shikamaru and he hopped out of his seat.

"Sakura's ready to get the party started.."

Shikamaru supplied.

"It's about time." Ino cut in harshly and then reached a hand out to grab her best friends. They both smiled at one another and then Ino rolled her eyes.

"Your date will be here..."

"The playboy?" she asked tilting her head in an accusing sort of way.

Ino smiled innocently.

"It's a new flavor...you need a bad boy in your life...your way too good for your own good, trust your bestie..."

"I've heard that way too many times.."

"Well, let's hope this is the last time...EW...are those jello shots..." She pivoted her head towards her husband who grabbed the small glass. "Yep.."

Sakura reached to grab the other glass but Ino slapped the back of her hand and shook her head.

"NO NO NO...tonight, we're going for something much stronger...trust me, you'll need it."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean...Ino, I like jello!" She whined.

"So do little girls and the toothless old people in the retirement home...it's too safe Sakura and tonight we are throwing caution to the wind...if your going to chill with an Uchiha, I don't need you to be uptight...it's a turn off especially for an Uchiha man."

_What the hell is an Uchiha man?_

Sakura gaped.

"I don't want to chill with him, you didn't need to make a blind date for me to come out...I'll be just fine...now...give me my damn jello."

Sakura demanded.

Ino shook her head.

"Fine, play it safe..." She said and then tossed her polished fingers up in the air to alert the bartender. "...six a blow job please!"

"...but after your done taking that shot your blowing six dicks with me.."

Sakura couldn't help but laughing at the serious tone of voice she took on to say that.

The peach haired girl knocked back her shot of jello and slammed down the glass.

"You win."

"Tell me something I don't know." The blond asked with a small grin.

She had never danced so much, never just allowed the music to bump through her pulse and make her sway jointlessly around like she didn't have a care in the world.

It was strange.

It was very new and the music wouldn't let her body rest, something was making her move too quickly to think and she was completely content with the feeling.

The music was her pulse, the music was her heart beat.

She, Ino and Shikamaru had made their own little semi circle and began to sway and grind with the crowd. She wasn't sure for how many hours they had been dancing.

She was sweaty and her feet felt restless but she couldn't stop herself.

_Could be all of those blow jobs. _

"How much dick can you blow Sakura?" She remembered Ino baiting her.

"Please don't say it like that Ino..."

"You still sound like a grannie in a casino...MORE BLOW JOB'S PLEASE!" She kept shouting at the red headed bartender who seemed just as aggravated by her loud mouth as Shikamaru.

"If you don't gag her, I will." Seemed to be plastered to his forehead.

About time the third song had began Ino paused, staring down at her phone.

"He's here.."

Sakura tipped over a bit but Ino caught her.

"Who?"

"Uchiha...he's right there!" She pointed over a bunch of bobbling heads and Sakura strained her blurry vision to see.

"WHHEEEEEERAH...I DDDDUN...SEE HEEEEM!" She shouted over the pounding music, biting her lip.

Ino frowned and pouted like a child.

"I show you...up, up and away!"

She held up a fist like she'd fly and grabbed Sakura by the waist. Both women, laughing drunkly stared up as if they were actually expecting lift off.

Shikamaru, the most sober one sighed and tossed his arms around both their shoulders.

"Let's go Daphnie and Velma.." he sighed and they both giggled.

The man that Ino was referring to was standing near the door staring at the horde of people on the dance floor winding like snakes. His eyes came across Shikamaru and he inclined his head in a greeting. Shikamaru returned this male gesture and then came to a stop in front of him.

Ino punched the man in the ribs.

"Youuuuu biotccch your lateeeey ateeey ate!"

"What the fuck.." The man said, in a husk so dark that Sakura felt as though she should defend her friend.

"HEY...HEY donnne you talk to haaa dat way!" Sakura punched, aiming at his stomach but he grabbed her fist. She looked up trying to clear up the distorted image that stood at least a few inches taller than her. Gangly. She smiled at him.

"No troublessss Misterrrrr tall man...I'm nice, on the inside, I prommmmmizing..."

He laughed.

"They're pretty fucked up..."

"RUDE...we are not!" Ino cried out, nearly tripping just to turn in response to Shikarmaru's explanation. Shikamaru steadied her and she slapped him away.

"Get off MOM...OH MY GAWWWSH THIS IS MY SHIT!"

She began to waltz off raising her hands and libiduously moving her hips, drawing the stares of the men tucked into the corner of the dance floor. Shikamaru sighed and shoook his head.

"Sasuke can you help me out...I know you didn't come here to babysit but..." he never finished he ran off after Ino.

Sasuke Uchiha sighed and released the women's hand.

He looked at her and she was grinning.

"Blow job?" she asked, he stared into her eyes and slid his finger up the side of her arm to secure the lacy strap of her dress.

"Hn...better idea, how about we get the hell out of here."


	3. One Night Stand

Sakura Haruno woke up with a splitting headache and a sore bottom.

She rolled over, to where, she wasn't sure but she nearly fell, abruptly, off it but something tugged at the hem of her dress and she clanged on for dear life to the edge of something.

_Wood?...wh-where am I..._

She knew she would have to open her eyes to assess that question.

Her eyes were stubborn in the morning, they could sense the sunlight's glance and because of that, they kept behind the shade of her eyelids where they were warm and safe from morning, morning was evil!

She groaned and crumbled into herself, pulling her knee's up almost to her forehead, trying to massage the pain that made her temples quake full throttle.

Her dress must've been caught on something because it kept tugging away from her mid thigh. She reached a hand back and tried to tug on it but wound up touching a hunk of hot flesh that moved in response.

"Your awake...good, now you can leave."

she jolted, eyes snapped open and body nearly plummeting off the small surface she was lying on. The hands reached out and grabbed a hand full of her dress to keep her from colliding face first into the floorboard.

The pink haired women turned unsteadily towards the stranger holding a fist full of her dress and stared at his unruly appearance.

His hair was a mess, as though a blow dryer attacked him several times and there was no comb to rescue him, his shirt was torn buttons gone.

There was a scratch on the side of his cheek and fresh, thin trails of scratch marks climbing down his abdomen and his arms.

She stared at him like he was a grotesque monster and then reverted back to her pulsing migraine.

"Ughhh, rude much..."

"Hn, if I were rude I'd had let you fall and bash your forehead in..." he said softly, the husk of his tone came natural, there was a drawl to his voice something that would have probably made most girls swoon but through Sakura's ears it sounded like the theme song of a conceited son of a bitch.

She stared at him and he stared back with a subtle smug little look to his face. His dark brows raised and he kept bracing the fabric of her dress around his fist, which had been clad in gauze...the gauze stained with blood.

Sakura rolled her eyes and then toss back her head with a sigh of both pain and exhaustion.

Her backside was stinging as though a squirm of bee's had used her for a stinging bag and her spine felt a bit wobbly too.

She bit her lip and tried to swallow back the pain.

"That doesn't make you rude, that just makes you an asshole..." She grumbled at him and then in a softer voice. "Where the hell did you take me..?"

She asked looking around and realizing that she was on top of a table in what appeared to be the smallest kitchen she had ever seen.

The cabinets were wide open and didn't contain much within their contents. There was broken glass, shattered and spewing across the floor.

yes, the scene looked quite brutal, as though someone had broken in or a hurricane had come through. She stared at the man with the dark hair and deep brows and he leaned back in a wooden chair, running a thumb over the fleshy pink bruise right at the corner of his lip.

"Sakura right?" he asked, even though it sounded like he was just being a jackass about asking her. She nodded and tried to keep her vision from looking like a fuzzy cam.

"Yeah...ho-how do yo-"

"Let's not make this any stranger than it has to be, you were fucked up...I was fucked up, we probably did some of the dumbest shit last night and I probably fucked the shit out of you but...let's not dwell on this situation. Alcohol makes us do some really crazy things, it compromises decisions and makes making a decision a lot easier, wouldn't you agree?"

He said this very quickly, as though he had said it a dozen times before. He just stared at the girl, with those onyx eyes that seemed to mirror her expression through their smoking mirrors.

He sighed.

"Hn, what I'm trying to say is...I hope you had a good time but nothing will ever come from this."

Now, Sakura considered herself one of those women who believed that a good debate could solve any issue.

_What do you expect from someone who complains a lot...eventually you realize that complaining is a modified way of resolving your issues. With the right argument and facts to back it up you can change anyone's point of view. I'm Sakura Haruno and I approve this message!_

_Fuck...my brain hurts...I hate you Ino...and myself for trusting her, she really did set me up with a playboy and I don't even remember a thing about him! I guess the sex must've sucked..._

"You don't have to tell me twice, just show me to the door...no need to pull out the players apology card I don't know who you are and I was never really interested in the first place!"

"Hn, I'm glad we see eye to eye..."

He responded standing to his feet, his zipper was down and she could see his boxers peeking in between the gap, his collard shirt was wide open revealing his firmly sculpted abs and the scratches all over him.

Sakura swallowed...

_Did I do that?...JUST WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!_

It really began to pique her interest, as much as she tried to deny what this stranger was suggesting they did, she was certain that there was some truth to what he was saying.

_I hurt all over!...on top of that this damn hang over...urrrgh. _

She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself to get loose with the liquor. She wasn't one of those women who drank until they were at the point of being brain dead. So rarely had she drunk at any social functions. She had always thought of herself as the more tamed drinker. She only sipped and made conversation and watched everyone else act like complete idiots.

Never would she ever conclude that she would be the biggest fool of them all. It's a little unnerving, how quickly everything escalated.

She could only remember leaving with him and the rest after that just seemed like a dead end and her mind wasn't exactly functioning, what with all of the trauma her temples were going through.

The raked his hair out of his face but his long bangs fell right back over his forehead he was holding a blackberry and staring down at it controversially before sighing and answering it.

"Nan?" he uttered out quietly placing one hand into his pocket.

"DON'T NAN ME...WHERE IS SAKURA AND SHE HAD BETTER BE IN ONE PIECE SASUKE OR I SWEAR..." she let the threat hang silently over his head like a bounty. The man side glanced at Sakura with a small crooked grin and scoffed.

"Hn, she's fine..."

"...TELL HER WE ARE OUTSIDE!"

It was Ino, clearly.

Sasuke smiled, charmingly, the smile didn't match his nasty attitude. It seemed very fathomless and careless. Sasuke discontinued the call and stared at Sakura.

He pointed towards the door, that was as opened as his shirt.

"Your friends are outside...Sakura."

She stared at him, the cockiness made her sick and she almost felt as though she'd hurl, she was sick to her stomach thinking about just what he had done to her last night.

Her body was definitely in a fragile state but she was sure they had done more than just roll around in bed.

She couldn't help but frowning at him, she fixed her mouth to spit out something rude to him but felt like that would only make the situation much worse because then she would be fueling his fire and it was clear that he would go toe to toe with her, she could just see it in those hard eyes of his. He was waiting for her to bark.

Seeing that she had already lost the battle, since she probably did have sex with him, she just clambered to her knee's and crawled cautiously to the edge of the table. Unsteadily she hopped down and stumbled with a groan towards the door on shaky legs.

She was barefooted, no idea where her shoes went and she felt too lazy to go and grab them.

_Wherever the hell they were..oh god what have I done!_

She had been late for work, it had been the first time in her life since she graduated Med school and she didn't even have a valid reason for her delay.

Even over sleeping would have been a better excuse then admitting that she had woken up on a table with a tingly sensation in her ass from the rudest man she had ever known to exist.

On her way to work she just couldn't get the look of that cocky bastard's face out of her mind and the fact that he tried to let her down easy.

_As if I was actually desperate enough to beg or something, I don't even know you guy.._

She frowned while walking through the halls and tugging on her lab coat after signing in at the front desk. She greeted a few nurses who were walking down their patients to the lunch room and took a sip from her bottled water.

Her fatal hang over had ceased to plague her after all the remedies she applied in the kitchen once she was settled in at home. Ino and Shikamaru had appeared to pick her up at around eight thirty and once she had gotten to the car looking groggily and sick Ino really took dramatic to a new level.

She burst from the drivers side and clang to her best friend, kissing her cheek and apologizing for not ordering Shikamaru to keep an eye on her instead.

Sakura just sighed and informed Ino that she'd be alright and that she didn't remember a thing. Ino seemed suspicious.

The first nurse to approach Sakura with a patients chart was Karin.

She was all happy-go-lucky, waving the chart over Sakura's head and whistling.

"Hey Mrs. popular with your bag of sweeties, I have a HUGE favor."

"...and I have a HUGE rejection.."

Karin laughed, like this was some challenge that she knew she'd win.

"Don't be sour, it's a special patient...just got here this morning from the front line...you do know what I mean when I say special, it's a severe case Sakura and it's evident whom the more qualified doctor is. Lady Tsunade, the head in the surgical wing is out there in Suna territory treating as many men as she can...and your the only one she intrusted these kind of procedures to, so the weight of the world rests on your shoulders...not to put you under pressure or anything."

The war had been going on for a few years now with no end in sight, it had sometimes slipped Sakura's mind just how violent things were between Suna and Konoha because she avoided the news but being at work or just being out in public made her realize that it wasn't over yet.

People were still being drafted to fight and the economy was going under. Gas prices kept raising and people kept loosing their homes. As much as she tried to ignore the economy there were some things she couldn't ignore.

She sighed.

Wasn't it just two years ago that Shikamaru had been drafted and Ino was so choked up about it. Ino thought she'd never see him again but Shikamaru was the sagest strategist in the city and so, he returned home and remained on call for a higher duty even though he didn't mind being apart of history the leaders felt as though he held a special place within the council.

They couldn't afford to loose a mind of variety.

Sakura held out her hand and tilted her head, Karin placed the chart in her hands and Sakura opened up the manilla folder, eyes wandering over the patients information.

"We don't have much info on him, only that he's lost a lot of blood...it's very critical that we treat him immediately, there's no dying after valentines day!"

She sang and winked at Sakura.

"So just let me know before lunch is over Dr. Haruno...and I'm loving all of that love on your neck.." The red head slapped her hands together and in her chipper demeanor strolled off to the I.C.U.

Sakura paused at the crossroads in the hall and sighed.

_Love on my what..._

She found herself in the bathroom twenty seconds later staring into the mirror at the red trail of hickies leading in between her small breast into her blouse.

The pink haired women gaped absentmindedly, pulling down the neck of her v-neck shirt following the trail with her eyes from the mirror into her shirt. She shivered slightly and then shook her head.

_I am never drinking like that again and I am never letting Ino set me up on a date again!_


	4. Our third letter

_Dear AssassinRaven, _

_You must really want a picture of a girl, don't you? I usually don't associate with desperate men but your very handsome...so I know it has nothing to do with desperation, your just...a long way from the opposite sex and that could drive any guy insane I'm sure._

_If I lived on an island full of girls, well, I think having a group of girls on an Island is a fate worse than a nuclear war...too many Diva's in one place is destined to start it's own war and there would probably be no survivors._

_BTW you are the one who's being modest...you could be a male model with eyes like that, they're pretty captivating... ya know?_

_:D well I'm not a photoholic person, I tend to hide from my mother's digital camera or anything that's pointed at me and demanding my attention. I'm not very photogenic...most girls appear to be but I find that I am an embarrassment through any lens._

_I can barely get good photo's on Facebook lol, all of my photo's are of me sleeping and they are usually taken during class and I'm tagged in them._

_I know, that's pathetic right but I hardly go on Facebook anyway, I have a lot of issues at home to deal with and I'm awaiting some college news that hasn't come back to me yet._

_I can't send you a picture, that would be way too easy. :) I think I'd like to string you along a little more...since you've made it clear that you wouldn't 'Accidentally' wind up dead._

_I guess you can call it an insurance fee because I like getting letters from you, now I realize what I had been missing out on in kindergarten all those years ago when my jail mate died._

_I'm surprised every time my dad walks through the door and see's me doing homework, when you write he just tosses the letter onto the table and calls it a bill._

_Lol._

_Well, it's no rush, I don't want this to be an inconvenience for you. I know your in a really tough situation so only write when your positive you can._

_I'm only seventeen and I don't plan to be moving anytime soon or something life changing to occur so this will still be my address._

_Anyway, thank you for the picture, it's good to have a face to go with the neatest handwriting in the world you chick :}. I hope that your in a decent place and you're doing well..._

_Hope you return to your parent's safe soon._

_-Your PePa,_

_CherryKlutz_

* * *

_Dear CherryKlutz,_

_Cherry...your going to give me a hard time, aren't you?_

_Well, lay it on me because I'm solid, like the cold steel of a bullet I can break through the skin of anyone...even yours. :)_

_If your smiling, you owe me a picture and when you owe me something I'll make sure to get it when I come to collect. I'm not sure when this whole thing will be over or if it will ever end._

_Sometimes it seems like there is no end in sight._

_There's a lot of red sand in Suna and it's hotter than hell in it's deserts. I've lost many comrades from starvation and simply because they feel they have no reason to go on. For awhile I've been feeling the exact same way but now, I have something interesting to look forward to. I'm never the first one to read my male and never the first one to send it off._

_Every thought counts to me and I refuse to just write some ape shit and send it to you. Thoughts are precious things and I never know which thought can be my last._

_I like receiving letters from you...it keeps me on my game, these past two weeks have really gotten me through the ringer._

_Hearing from someone back at home makes me realize why I'm out here...trying to beat the odds, so, thank you...Cherry._

_Since you are, again, withholding a picture of yourself from me can you please mail me a news paper?_

_Sweet Dreams and Good Morning...Cherry._

_Last thought- I'm not going anywhere._

_-A.R_


	5. M A I L

_The trouble with mail is, unwanted mail, just like sex tapes they tend to linger long after you've seen them._

_Some prefer an email but I prefer letters. Letters indicate emotion, weather it be a tear that's smudge some vow of the alphabit or a flippin cheese sauce stain drop dead in the middle of the paper._

_Some letters are crumbled and some...some are just completely torn...let's explore both letters and emails._

* * *

_Dear AssasinRaven,_

_It's cold here. bu-r-r-r-r-r! Seriously, my toes have died from lack of heat and it get's worse because my mother is completely at piece with the weather so she leaves the kitchen window open during breakfast and dinner. _

_I shoveled a few drive thru's for Charity and in return mother nature poisons me with a cold. So ya, I'm stuck in the bubble of my room and I'm pretty bored. I know I just wrote you a letter but I wanted to add a few more things, just in case I forgot later. I probably won't even send this out until I get one back from you._

_You've been being really Stingy AR. I really hope it's just you being Stingy...and not hurt, I hope your okay._

_Let's play Five, well, the real game is called twenty-one but I'm not that creative enough to come up with a bunch of questions._

_I'll leave that bowl of fun to my dad, he's a lawyer and a pretty prissy interrogator but as I warned you, we're good at complaining, so he's a pro...very legit. He's run off the last two guys I've dated and unfortunately this method has grown on me so, I guess that's why I'm uh about to grill you...well, it has nothing to do with dating or anything because we're not .I'm just trying to get to know who you really are behind that neat script. Seriously you should write a paper on penmanship, I'd buy a copy. _

_Trying to seduce me with your curling c's and your delicate T's. I hate to be teased :}. haha, anyway..._

_Question Numbre one, what are your intentions once you make it back home?_

_Question Numbre two, who are you coming back home to?_

_Question Numbre three, what on Earth did you do with that news paper I sent you last month?_

_Question Numbre Four, if you could be anywhere...where would you be?_

_Question Numbre Five, Suckers or chewies?_

_Sorry but one more question...who else writes you?_

_Your PePa,_

_Cherryklutz_

* * *

_Cherry,_

_I apologize for the lack of letters given because the amount received excels greatly...I'm grateful too. I know I haven't been writing much, I'm not much of a talker...or a writer. I like to read though, I've been scarfing down your letters for the past two weeks and I've also gotten into a few things I'm not proud of but never mind that._

_It's raining today, a few guys and I have gotten together to build a camp here and get a little sleep before morning. To be fuckin honest, I'm not tired and even if I were I probably wouldn't sleep regardless._

_I'm pretty unpredictable, Cherry, even to myself...I sometimes find my thoughts a little unsavory. I guess you could say that killing has become a hobby of mine and I'm trained to do nothing else but...it's a simpleminded state of mind to make a habit of but it keeps me alive and conceited as ever. Right? Since you think me as much...I know you do._

_:) but ey, the job has to be done by some shithead so, why not me?_

_It sucks that your sick. I'm not doing too well myself._

_I haven't been sick in years. When I was younger I was very aware of what would hurt me and what would kill me. I avoided both._

_My intentions once back home is to fix up my parents place, to build it, I knew they said after my little brother was old enough to be on his own that they'd sale it but they haven't and it's rotting like a foundation of shit._

_Initially I was returning home to...my girl and the family but that's all changed. I really don't have anything at home that I want aside from the house...everyone else is gone._

_I know it's old fashion and you probably think I'm a geezer but I read the newspaper from time to time, they list the fallen Shinobi in the obituary and I was just looking to see if I knew any of them or where their location was. Thank you for sending it, it was very resourceful._

_I only write to you...and I only think...of your face the entire time._

_:D I didn't forget that you owe me a picture..._

_-A.R_

* * *

**KSM Mail**

**Your Mailbox **_3 unread messages, 1 spam,_

Hey watcha doing...buddy, I noticed you skipped out on me during our twelve o'clock brunch date. WTF was that all about, you know I can only eat at restaurants if your there to go half with me on the bill. I'm a nurse! That means your god damn check pawns two of my checks on a good week. Selfish! I really do hope we can put this whole thing about Sa-well, he who must not be named...under the sheets because I was just trying to spice up your life with a little fire, because let's face it...your life is pretty cockless. I didn't know he would...do what he did...I watched the video btw, had no idea you were so limber. Damn girl, nice job! You've been going to yoga without me huh? Anyway, I'm so so SORRY Sakura, I just wanted you to enjoy Valentines day for once. I mean, I know we joke about everyone being lovey dovey and what have you but I'm really concerned about you. I'm always concerned about you, I feel like you don't have as much fun as you should have and it makes me feel like I shouldn't have any either. I like the drunk Sakura, she's fun...non-bitchy and rated-R...very rated-R...apparently. I'm sorry for that reference...ugh I'm making this worse aren't I? That's to be expected right? lol I bet your thinking that! Look when my main-bee's not happy, how can I be? :( huh, huh? Guess what KitKat it's impossible, kay!

I like being happy!...So please just show up for lunch tomorrow or I'll starv-...I mean, or else I'll have to..well I dunno what I'm going to do but you bet your ass it's gonna hurt. So get over it already, I know I've made a mistake...the world knows. ShIT...well, technically it's not the whole world, just Konoha City... I'm just going to shut up now.

**you**-x

**me**-o

Together we make love. :D remember that? lol. xoxo

Y. Ino

* * *

_Haruno, Sakura,_

_KittyCat Mayham wants you! We've recently looked into an audition tape you've submitted and admire both your body and your talents. We would be very much interested in having a sexy face and physique such as yours. There are no doubts in our mind that you will draw more viewers and be very beneficial to our Adult Entertainment Franchise. So please take this time to fill out the online application and we'll be in touch._

_KittyCat Mayham will also be holding at the door interviews starting Thursday morning and we're hoping to see you there. Please wear very little and please please please be very hygienic. We prefer closely shaven between, or something that isn't too obscured._

_Head Executive,_

_J.J-rya_

* * *

_Doctor Haruno,_

_This message is in regards to your admission to travel to Suna as a part of the medic wing who are currently actively treating our hero's. _

_We only have one spot for now, as, everyone is being graciously active in admitting. I've looked over your records and you seem very qualified to come to Suna and work alongside some of the greatest doctors known to our city._

_So I am writing to offer you the position._

_The deadline is the ending of this month, February._

_God bless our Shinobi._

_-Kurenai, Y_


	6. Search and Destroy

_Dear AssassinRaven, _

_New Years huh and I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. I'm going to miss 2011 for some strange reason._

_It was a very big year for me but I'm ready for the next one to roll on in and sweep me off my feet. I'll be moving out and onto campus next Friday. I'm seriously nervous that I'm going to suffer extreme embarrassment on my first day because as you know I'm not like most girls, I'm a bit more...outspoken._

_Don't laugh at my embaressment, it's like a ritual with me. It's happen from K-12 so I have no expectations to make a clean cut. :} Anyway I've sent you a few newspapers and magazines. Thought you'd find it very entertaining to read about how much of a fat ass super model Konan became or how the box office here looks. Lot's of great movies but I hate seeing movies alone and all of my friends are way too busy these day's worrying about getting in at the last minute or buying transportation._

_Sucks for them huh? :D lol._

_Your lucky your downrange, in a way, you don't have to worry about all of this useless education and making decisions._

_Your life just seems to flow. I'm not saying that I'm sure your having the time of your life, I know that's far from the fact but I just want you to know that your not missing anything out here._

_High school should be canceled in fact._

_It get's very intense here and I really don't have anyone to talk to about my parents divorce and I'm sorry I always just think you care about listening to my issues about them. It's pretty selfish of me, your in a much more stressful situation. _

_I talk to Hiko but that doesn't exactly soothe me either, especially since my own damn cat looks at me like I'm insane._

_Lol anyway I liked the drawing you sent me of the waterfall with your buddy Hoshigaki Kisame, he looks...interesting, I think your very talented. You should totally open up a showcase when you come back._

_I also am IN LOVE with your playlist. I loved every single song, you are the master. Honestly, the riffs are catchy...I'll send you my playlist. As a matter of fact, I never bought you a Christmas gift...and that's pretty retarded of me since you sent me something so close to you._

_Thank you for the necklace, the Uchiwa is pink and red...my favorite color. Did you find it? Is it like something family related? If it is, I'm sending it right back...that's too sentimental to be just throw away to someone like me. I loose track of time so there's no guarantee that I'll be any better with this. _

_Send me a twig...or bullet. lol IN THAT ORDER._

_Anyway, it's getting pretty late and I should get some sleep._

_I hope you've gotten enough sleep, food and shelter. I'm glad that you enjoyed your first bath in a long long time, I was beginning to think that maybe you wouldn't get a chance until you came back here._

_Welp, nighty night or Good morning._

_Ps- Were you...bleeding? I didn't want to freak out and assume the worse but there was blood on my envelope so...I just need to know that your okay. Also I wrote to you from my new address. :}_

_Your PePa,_

_CherryKlutz_

* * *

_My reactions to a sex tape starring, me..._

"What. The. Hell...am I doing?"

"Well it looks like yo-"

"Shut the fuck up Karin, she didn't mean to tell her literally...it's pretty self explanatory and bold. Who is this women, are you sure it's you Dr. Haruno...where is this side of you now?"

_Oh...I'm pretty friggan sure...I wish it wasn't but...that's me...no one's forehead could come close to being as nearly distracting as their boobs than my forehead could. _

"She left when the alcohol did and now I have to deal with the mess she's left behind, Oh my god I cannot believe that sleazy fucko...I can't watch this, just turn it off, please...I refuse to watch him win."

"Win? Is this some kind of game?"

"No, Karin! She doesn't wanna see herself get fucked...damn, don't you have some I.V to be installing into one of the rooms?"

Sakura Haruno sat back in her office recliner chair and buried her flushed red face into her palms, all the blood had seemed to freeze beneath her skin and all she wanted to do was rid this world of a particular playboy.

One who was probably roaming the city carelessly, a hero amongst men, for having sex with her and making it viral.

_I'm going to kill him!...I'm going to talk to Ino long enough to get his address and I'm going to chop his dick into microscopic pieces and flush him, bit by excruciating bit down the toilet afterwards and record that! It'll be a hit and everyone will forget all about this...oh...but then I'd be in jail...so..._

_Fuck, redo!_

_I'll hire a hit man t-_

"You know, you could press charges on him and the courts can make him take this down..."

"Could I, Ten?"

A women with a short bob-like haircut sat on Sakura's desk, she also wore a lab coat. She cradled a cup of warm coffee against her cheek and nodded.

"Yep, you were intoxicated and you didn't even give him consent to profit from this...this..."

"You can say it...booty-call...that's what this website is calling it." Sakura droned pointing at the title in bold, beneath the video it recorded the amount of likes and dislikes and how many times the video was downloaded.

_Looks something like this. _

* * *

**Likes**-11,923,320

**Dislikes**-4

**Downloaded**-2,013(200 times today)

* * *

"I can't believe they allow people to just download these home made videos...and all four of the dislikes were me..."

Tenten laughed at her colleagues pout. She could see that she was visually pissed off but at the same time, she was trying to be professional about it.

Sakura was, after all, a doctor first and a women later.

Tenten had never known a time when Sakura lost her cool, even when they had a patient under the knife, loosing bucket fulls of blood. Sakura remained indifferent of the circumstances. Tenten had always seen Sakura as her mentor.

True, they were the same age but something about Sakura always struck her truly independent and mature. She may be twenty-three but she seemed much older and more sage than most people their age.

She always gave Tenten good advice both business and social wise. She was the most orderly women working in the hospital.

She kept her office in a very OCD like climate, which at times unraveled Tenten because it seemed so commercial but she had grown to see it as a very organized women who had planned out her life down to her last breath.

Planned it out until this moment.

When she first received the video in an email from one of the male doctors in the hospital the first thing she was concerned about was how this would effect her friends career as a doctor and then she wondered if Sakura was actually that flexible or if the stud in the video was just stretching Sakura out ruthlessly.

_..but it didn't seem to hurt her...oh my...why am I thinking about this!_

She shook her head and then sighed.

"I say you crucify his ass in court, take him for all he's got and then take a nice little VayKay to Amegakure...I hear that place is a stunning place to get lost in. There's something around every corner!"

"Probably my ass...I'm sure it's reached there to. Thanks for the advice but the Video's already out there now and there's really nothing I can do to wipe it from the many minds who have ingested it. I don't really have a case to bring into the court even if I was seeking justice. In that video I very aware of that I was on candy camera...he was holding it the entire time, I just can't believe I was drunk enough and dumb enough to just thoughtlessly engage in everything...whatever everything was. I'm not watching it."

Sakura crossed her arms and furrowed a brow at Tenten, who looked blatantly guilty.

"You watched it didn't you...THE WHOLE THING?"

She bit her lip and then leaned over to touch her friends hand.

"I'm sorry, it's just, it was sent in an email to me and I thought it was one of those stupid office pranks and I didn't know that it would be the way it was with all of the glass and...the guy, I know you hate him but...he was very attractive at the time an-"

"Save it." Sakura held up a palm in front of her face with a small grin, she knew that Tenten looked at men like catalogs.

There was a meek knocking at the door, Tenten looked over her shoulder and Sakura leaned to the side to peer at the intruder in the doorway.

"Look what the cat dragged in, Hello Nurse Yamanaka."

"Hey Ten...can I uh, have a moment alone with Sakura?"

Tenten looked at Sakura and tilted her head.

"You gonna be alright?"

Sakura nodded.

"I'll manage to be...just keep a cup of tea on hold for me later kay?"

"Roger that." Tenten slid off the desk top and then began to walk out of the office past Ino, who followed her out with a resentful stare and then sighed.

She slammed the door shut and walked towards the desk.

"So I heard about you being admitted, to go to Suna...I thought you gave up on that request though.."

"I did."

"So does that mean your not going to take it?"

"Nope."

"Then what does it mean?"

"It means I'm considering it, after all...I bet no one in Suna has seen my ass."

Ino groaned.

"I'm sorry but please hear me out before you make your judgements about my match making skills. I've known Sasuke since he was a little kid. He's a lot of things but I'm completely positive that he wouldn't have done something this low, it would incriminate himself and he's trying to keep a low profile. To post a video with a complete stranger? The boy doesn't even own a computer. He's dirt poor."

"Maybe he was sick of being poor, decided to film his very own porn."

"Or...maybe one of his dumb ass whores just got a hold of the tape and set this whole ball into motion."

Sakura stared at Ino and then shook her head.

"Just like one of his whores told him to record it to began with...?"

Ino seemed frustrated, she pushed back a strand of blond hair and pulled a seat up in front of her friends desk.

"Sak, listen to me...I know him.."

"Ya, ya, ya...I hear ya but it just doesn't make any sense..."

"Sakura, Sasuke is a very infamous face amongst women...some of us want to kill him and the other half want to marry him. Why? I don't fucking know, he's not too bad I guess but the asshole has his own dick crammed so far up his ass that he winds up fucking most of them over...he doesn't know how to commit. He can be here one day, in his shitty apartment and gone the next. Dude lives his life like a wanderer...so I don't know I'm guessing he had a girl over and she fucked you both over. Ok, so it's not a guess it's fact..."

She was frowning, arm over her scrubs, leg's bouncing anxiously.

She seemed worried, very worried.

Sakura let out a long sigh and stared at the ring on Ino's finger.

"You tried to kill him didn't you?"

"Almost did...and I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for Shikamaru and Choji dragging me out his front door."

They were both silent for a moment and then Sakura chuckled, Ino stared up at her friend and saw that she was actually smiling. This hadn't been the case for a few weeks now. Sakura was in board meetings fighting for her career and trying to not crumble under the attention she was getting. Ino was relieved to see her smiling, in fact, it made Ino smile.

"What about that email you sent me...?"

Ino laughed, pushing aside some of the papers on her desk in search of some spare chocolate.

"Oh...about that, I was trying to piss you off, I just wanted you to talk to me, no matter what you were going to say...who else am I going to share the juicy gossip with or talk about stinkin love with and the qualms of marriage. Everyone in this hospital is hitched and happily married...shitting rainbows on a thrown of matrimony...ewwk."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

_Typical Ino, I miss her, talking to Hiko was beginning to drive me crazy, I don't see how cat people are entertained._

Sakura smiled shaking my head at her.

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't support you during your board meeting since you were mad as a riot at me...so...what was the verdict are they letting you stay?"

The peach haired women smiled and nodded, yeah, although they're hands were tied regardless because I am the one lady Tsunade intrusted the surgical wing to...no worries, I've been arraigned and dropped of the charges, now I'm free to go back to my normal life, AND YOU will NEVER set me up on another date with ANYONE other than either you or Shika, is that clear?"

I asked pointedly.

She nodded tiredly, looking really mechanic.

"Okay, okay...I wont delve into your love life ever again...I'll just be a bad friend and watch you write notes up to your eyes and ears at home."

"I'd appreciate it...I know I've been avoiding relationships lately but it has nothing to do with...the thing from highschool, that was ages ago. I'm just focused on my career I just really like what I do and I want to make a life long commitment to something I love."

Ino sighed.

"I want to say a lot about that bullshit you just said but I'll just give you a knowing stare...look into my eyes.."

She strained her eyes and moved her head around as if she was trying to read Sakura's mind. Sakura laughed.

". Get out of my office.."

Ino stood to her feet and leaned into the desk.

"So...are we good, O.." She opened up her arms like she couldn't contain a contagious yawn and Sakura stood to her feet.

"X." she kissed Ino on the cheek and gave her a hug. Ino patted her back and held her tight.

"We'll bring him down." She promised.

_Which reminds me.._

"What's his address?"

"What...why?"

"Relax...I-uh...I want to face him myself."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"You care's what you think...it's not your naked body being liked on Youtube."

"Fuck you dickhead!"

"Your a dickhead!"

"Your a dickhead, dickhead...give me the damn address Ino, it seems like your protecting him...dickhead."

"Listen di-"

"Girls, Girls...stop fighting your both beautiful..."

The husk of the voice just touched her the wrong way, she broke loose from Ino and they both stared at him as he strolled in.

Sasuke Uchiha was mauled by two very twin looks of both animosity and surprise.

He smiled but stood at a distance that Sakura preferred him to never leave because she feared for his life and her career.

"You've got some nerve showing your face here Uchiha!" Ino nearly hollers and begins to take off her rings as though she was prepared to go complete mortal combat on him. "...get out asshole, I think we've seen more of you than we can handle."

He made a small little noise of enjoyment under his breath and then he nudged his head at Sakura.

"That's what she said..." he said softly, turning the full intensity of those fathomless eyes on Sakura as though they were his weapons to smooth things over but in his eyes, she could see that he wasn't there for peace.

"Oooooh I will-!" Ino began to threaten holding up a fist like the mad women she was. Sakura grabbed her by the wrist.

"Ino...chill out...I deal with little boys on a daily basis..."

Despite everything in her that wanted to finish clawing out his flesh she somehow managed to step in front of Ino and stare him in the eye.

"What the fuck do you want?"

She asked, surprised that she possessed that tone of voice, it was pretty empowering and tough. She admired herself more than ever in that moment.

He seemed to enjoy what came out of her mouth.

He stared from Ino's glower to Sakura's face and shrugged.

"Get rid of the hired muscle and I'll let you know..."

"I'm not going anywhere...if you've got a big enough dick you can say whatever you hafta say in front of m-"

"Ino..." Sakura began.

"-but."

"Just give us a minute...I'm trying to be mature about this."

"Fuck your maturity Sakura, he's not mature..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You heard her."

"Shut up...you asshole." Sakura said to him too excited and impressed with her authoritative behavior to stop now.

"I should warn you, I don't really enjoy women telling me what to do..." he explained darkly.

"Boo hoo!" Ino pitched, making a gesture with her fist over her eyes.

Sasuke just stared at her with a deadly gaze and bit his lip.

"Ino..get out, the sooner you leave the sooner he can be gone and away from me for good."

Ino sighed and stared at Sasuke.

"You had better not touch her..."

Sasuke looked like he'd bust out laughing at Ino's feeble threat but he only stared down at his chipped fingernails, monitoring them momentarily and stared back at Ino with a bored expression.

"Been there...done that." He teased enunciating it clearly enough and leaning towards Ino to make sure she digested the meaning.

Sakura stood there for a moment fighting the urge, what urge she wasn't sure but it got her blood pumping and her fist pulsing with extreme fury.

She took one step towards him.

He looked smug, like he had nothing to fear from her approach.

The next motion she took, she knew there was no turning back but she couldn't get over how ridiculous he was. Waltzing into her office as if they were on good terms, walking into her hospital known as the guy who fucked the boss.

He had a lot of balls!

She punched him, adding all of the ump she could muster in her small body. It was the right amount of strength because his face moved slightly.

Not nearly as full circle as she had imagined but enough to satisfy her.

He didn't make a sound. His hair fell over his face where she had slugged him.

"Get out of my office...or my hired muscle will escort you out,forcibly."

"..and it ain't gonna be pretty." Ino interjected placing her hands on her hips.

He turned his head very slowly towards Sakura and his eyes captured her's in that one glance.

He smiled in that way that truly got under her skin. That crooked smile and then he shrugged.

"Did you at least tell her the whole story?" He asked Ino through his teeth, staring at her.

"What does it matter if she knew you didn't leak the tape...you still recorded it and all fingers still, very much prove that your the bastard who recorded it."

He shrugged.

"You've got me there but the point is I didn't leak it, I only collect them..."

"I can't believe your still the same way...since fuckin High School Uchiha."

"Hn, Old habits die hard."

"So do people, when they get aids.." Ino shot at him. Sasuke only looked at her as if he cared more about a dead mouse laying on the ground than what she had just said.

"So, Ino says you suspect one of your whores did it..."

"Whores..." he said in a hard tone staring at Ino accusingly.

Ino shrugged.

"Call em like I see em."

"No, it wasn't one of them, that's what I'm fucking getting at."

"Then who sent it...had to be you."

Sasuke smiled.

"Nope, it was you." he pointed at Sakura.


	7. Obsessed

_Me?...wait..._

_"ME!"_

"Her...?" Ino shrieked right after Sakura had, jabbing her thumb towards her best friend and staring at Sasuke with a face of complete disbelief.

"Must I reiterate or are you both just being dramatic on purpose?" He inquired crossing his arms over his chest and looking too at home in a office that was not his.

_Wait until I hunt down the dead nurse who led him to me...probably Karin...being all hyper and host-ful as usual. _

Ino shot him a look and Sakura frowned.

"If your accusing me, there had better be some valid proof...so let's hear it, Uchiha."

He grinned, staring into her eyes and shaking his head slowly.

He scoffed.

"Your blackmailing me, You probably didn't like the way I reacted to you when you woke up on my table..." He took a step closer, towering over Sakura, dark gaze very serious and breathtaking.

He was truly a sight, Sakura had never realized how much of his face was a mystery to her until now. In the plane bright lights of her office she could really see his outstanding bone structure and the lengthy silky strands of his hair curling around his forehead and spiking up on top of his head.

His lashes were long for a guy but his brows were so deep they obscured any hope of light in his eyes.

And those lips...

_Those stupid lips that framed that stupid deceitful smile._

_"_or...your just a crazy bitch trying to trap me into some relationship...I can go on for day's..."

Sakura nearly vomit in her mouth from the last assumption but she only jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Trap you in a relationship! Are you fucking serious!Don't even go there...I'd never be that desperate you ass!"

"You sure, cause your not the prettiest girl I've ever seen..."

"UGGGH how could you just walk in here and pretend that I'm the one out to get you, this is all your fault, if your head hadn't been so thick and fucked up I wouldn't even have been in this mess...I mean, who's conceited enough to keep a record of their sex lives on videos!...In case no one ever had the boobs to tell you this, THAT'S CREEPY AS FUCK..."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and took another step towards her at the same time she took another one, absentmindedly towards him.

"Well you seemed to think it was a brilliant Idea."

"I was drunk, fucko..."

"Were you...really."

"WHAT!"

"I'm just saying, you seemed to know exactly how to get right to it didn't you..."

"...and you didn't?"

"...I didn't even have to make a game of it, remember?"

They were now only a breath apart, Sasuke had lowered his face close enough to be looking Sakura straight in the eye. Hot breath touching her nose when he spoke.

Sakura's head was raised, giving Sasuke a face of severe distaste. Her fist bald up at her sides.

"I wish I couldn't."

"Agreed."

"Why don't you get the fuck out of my office, I hear that's one way to get over me."

He laughed at her.

"Hn. That was cute, very fucking cute but get real, I'm not the obsessed one."

"Neither am I, I'd enjoy nothing more than to forget what happened but thanks to you and those 2,013 sick fucks who download your little home movie...that's not even an option anymore so thanks for making me world famous it's always been my dream to be top favorite on Youporn! You manipulative asshole!"

"Manipulative? Me? Are you going to say I raped you next...Your the one wh-" He hissed pointing a finger at her.

Ino stood there, watching them both go back and fourth, necks nearly breaking off their shoulders as they attacked, both of their faces flushed. Sakura so worked up that a strand of pink hair had escaped her perfect ponytail and hung over her forehead. She turned her face sharply away from Sasuke, closing her eyes as though she wasn't even listening. Sasuke looked extremely frustrated and intolerant . There was a prominent vein in his forehead and his eyes stayed low and severe like an eagles.

Ino could tell that Sakura had pushed every button he had and that's saying a lot because she had never seen him lose his cool. Sasuke always had this neutral expression, she had always called it the Auto-pilot face because he always looked too far gone to give a damn what anyone thought or said about him.

_I don't know if I should die of laughter or break this lil dispute up but...hm...oh candy...it's a crunch bar and it was hidden under a thick ass file. I should've know that fat ass couldn't give up on chocolate, who does she think she's fooling._

"...destroyed my apartment and what the fuck are you wolverine's daughter, I know in movies men getting scratched looks all divine and sexy but I don't have a stunt double or an understudy to take one for the team and I don't heal fast either."

He yanked back the collar of his shirt to show off a deep gash that scarred the skin of his neck. It was frighteningly livid.

Sakura remained impervious towards his accusations even though she side glanced at his neck for a brief moment.

"Look asshole, I'm a busy body who actually has a job to get back to so if you'd excuse me.."

She began to turn away, Sasuke grabbed her arm, snatching it aggressively.

"I didn't excuse you..." he stated smoothly, in a thick voice that almost seemed haunting.

"You didn't have to, it's a free country I'm not one of your whores."

He laughed darkly.

"I don't know what Ino told you but I don't have any whores, only acquaintances whom occasionally have sex with me."

"I rest my case, now fuck off!" She called trying to yank her arm away.

"Make me...because I'm not going anywhere until you admit that you leaked that video...so be a good girl, red."

Sakura turned towards him and stared at that infuriating damn smile on his face...it seemed a bit off this time, angrier, as though he was trying to look natural but she had gotten so far beneath his skin that a little part in him wanted her dead. Deader than Dead.

She smiled back at his miserable attempt but even she couldn't make it look natural, like what he had said to her didn't tick her off.

Ino furrowed a brow while munching on the crunch bar from Sakura's desk.

_Aww, I knew they'd resolve the problem, look at them smiling at one another...job well done Ino, you've made life long friends! I knew this whole thing would blow over. This calls for a celebration in the tub tonight. Two candles and my handy dandy I-pod...hell I'll even order my slave of a husband to give me a massage...fuck yes, my back is melting thinking about the look on his face...why am I so good to him?_

"What did you just call me?"

"Red...I know you know why...didn't you wonder why you were hurting so much when you woke up...I beat the hell out of it."

Sakura frowned at him and let out an intense breath.

"...I guess it was my way of paying you back, for the adorable little scratches I can't seem to get rid of."

The stupid grin appeared and Sakura turned with the intentions of slapping him again, only she lost her footing and somehow, some ridiculous way her lips pressed right into his.

_what, the, Fuck._

It was too brief to really dwell on but she was there, swimming in his taste and smell long enough to stare into his angry eyes at the same time that he stared into hers and then they both pushed one another away and staggered backwards.

"SEE, YOUR OBSESSED!" they both called out simultaneously.

Pointing fingers as though they were pointing weapons.

Sakura wiped her sleeve over her lips frowning up with a sour face and turned away quickly.

"That never happened!"

"Hn, whatever...I'm out of here.."

"Good riddance, asshole."

He stormed off out of the office without another word. Sakura turned towards her desk and spotted Ino smacking on a candy bar.

She raised her brows.

"So much for a tag team..."

"My mouth got distracted...want some?" She asked holding out the candy bar towards Sakura. Sakura shook her head.

"Did you not just see that?"

"See what?" Ino seemed very bemused. Sakura stared into her teal eyes and could see that she genuinely did not know what she was talking about.

"Never mind..." the pink women shook her head and then puffed out a breath of air she had forgotten to let out.

_The nerve of that ass! He actually thinks I have something to gain from a sex video with him. That couldn't be further from my imagination. _

"Where did Sasuke go?" asked Ino.

"To die in a hole hopefully." Sakura responded, poking the stray hair over her forehead back into her orderly ponytail.

_"_Why, I thought you two hit it off...or...not...?" she dragged out watching Sakura's face go from one level of irritation to another. Ino winked.

"Very funny Ino, the guy actually believes I'm the one who leaked the damn tape...he's full of himself and clearly a pathological liar."

"He's a man, those qualities are to be expected."

"Ino I'm serious, he's acting like he didn't even do it."

"Maybe he didn't."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't make sense, we were the only one's in the room when it happened...we can't both be victims."

"Look at the bigger picture, Sasuke's apartment see's more ass than a basement that promotes sex trafficking...so I'm sticking to my guns about my initial theory. Some jealous whore fucked you both over, end of story."

_Well, she could be right. The Sasuke, seemed way too angry about this for this to have been some plan of his. _

"So, what will you do now, do you plan to do anything with my theory?"

"Nope, I just wanna forget all about the tape. I have a patient to get to and I have some packing to do tonight, I don't have time to chase theories."

"Pack?...where you going?"

"Oh...you don't know do you...well, tomorrow the board is flying me out to Suna to get a-um...lay of the land, just to see if...I'm prepared for everything. They want someone who's serious about the assignment."

"Basically they're trying to scare you out of the assignment."

"Possibly."

"They're idiots, they don't know you've got guts...I just hope your going into this assignment with a clear mind and clinical intentions."

Sakura stared at her.

"Ino.."

"Don't Ino me...Sakura, I know how over the moon you were for that guy but...he's gone Sakura...for years."

"I know! I know, I keep telling you that. Why don't you believe me?"

She was quiet for a moment and then she shrugged.

"...because every time you talk about Suna your face lights up like fireworks and you just...look...so completely and irrevocably in love with the idea that you'll run into him, am I wrong?"

"Wel-"

"Am I?"

"Is it so wr-"

"Yes...because I don't want your heart to be broken when you don't see him again."


	8. Not Ready

_Cherry,_

_Happy New Years, fuck, I know it's a little late but my hands were tied at the time of the new year. It's been a pretty big year for me too, well, not just for me but for everyone out here...I'd hate to think of war as a game but it occurs to me that it's very much like a game. _

_Lot's of ups and downs, some plays get us far some get us a little closer to death and everyone is just watching and waiting for the winners...the end but everyone is foolish because there are no winners, there is no ending because although we may come home there will always be a war to fight._

_People die, people...just like us who only fight because they think they're right and refuse to adapt to any other ideals. Like no one can interpret the meaning of life and religion differently. _

_People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That's how they define 'reality' but what does it mean to be correct or true? Merely vague concepts… their 'reality' may all be a mirage. Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?_

_Ha...sorry to go into my dark depressing corner with this...anyway, I'm glad you liked the necklace. It was my mother's, my dad gave it to her as an engagement gift. It wasn't exactly handed down to me but I inherited a few things after their...untimely death. _

_Don't send it back, it serves no purpose to me over here and I'm sure it fits your neck better than it would fit any of the guys over here especially Kisame, his neck is bigger than a sharks. Trust me, we've established proof. Getting it ended pretty nasty but we've got time to bullshit out here when none of us can sleep._

_In the name of shits and giggles._

_I was pretty good in school, my parents had really high standards for me and I didn't want to disappoint them but there comes a time when you realize your thoughts and opinions seem to differ from what is expected. They wanted me to live up to the name of my family but all I wanted was to live at peace...and peace isn't something my family promotes. They're a very controversial...with everything on this damn planet. _

_So I know all about living in a house where it feels like your walking on eggshells. My parents pitted my younger brother and I against one another. One of us lived with our father, the other with our mother. _

_We never saw much of one another and when we did we didn't know what to say. It's been over seven years since I've seen him, I bet he's really fucked up...mom probably spoiled him shit-less._

_Dad on the other hand, he was never easy to deal with. We got into it a few times...sometimes we used our fist, sometimes we cursed about it but in the end we usually came to a conclusion._

_I can't say that I miss him._

_A bullet...are you joking...I can never tell with you._

_Maybe if I could see your face. :} Had some idea of this girl I've been talking to...because how could you run through my mind so much without a face to match those leg's I keep seeing?_

_Seriously your being fucking heartless, the Polaroid picture of your legs..I didn't think you could get any lower than denying me the picture to began with. I underestimated you._

_Why are you drawing this out?_

_You know as soon as I get off the plane I'm coming to find you and torture the hell out of you for making me wait this long. Nine whole months Cherry...I'm starting to get a man eater vibe._

_Thanks for the magazine, since I don't have a picture of you I guess the fat ass model in the bikini will suffice...I'll find a good foxhole to jerk off in. ;}_

_Tell me, is that why your hesitant...you think I'm going to play my fiddle to your face?_

_xD don't you know by now...I don't like to be teased like most guys, it's going to take more than a pair of D size tits on a sheet of glossy paper to drive me crazy._

_..and besides, you already drive me crazy and you didn't even have to be here to accomplish that...I don't even have to see your face to be turned on by just the thought of you...wondering...how you might smell when you come out of the shower or...how your voice would sound when your making those sarcastic remarks...or...how your face might look if you were talking to me...what if my fingers could touch your face...is all I need to think about._

_When it's quiet..._

_Those are the things that drive me crazy. Your going to get me killed very soon..._

_Ha._

_Well, I have to get a move on it...once again we've split up again to cover more ground so I'm my only look out. I'd like to write more but I'd hate to be ambushed during this letter, it's not the way I imagined dying, I'd probably get laughed at in hell._

_You know how you can never go wrong with not losing a necklace?...wearing it. :p_

_Don't take it off._

_Sweet dreams and good mornings to you, take care of yourself._

_-A.R_

* * *

_Dear AssassinRaven,_

_So were you or were you not bleeding? Don't avoid the question with your depressing musings. I'm on to you e_e and I don't approve._

_So your not dead and you wrote me back a month later, what the fuck...a little late my ass. :{ You can't possibly understand what I was thinking, not hearing from you for an entire month...after receiving a bloody envelope. Seriously, I...I..nothing. I was pissed. _

_You already denied your, 'get out of Sakura's life for free' card and you said you weren't going to die on me and then I thought you died and...urggh._

_I'm calm._

_I'm guessing something really big must've happened and I'm sorry I was being irrational and girlish, I took the time out and I re-read your letter because aside from the one month delay I was pretty excited when I went to the mailbox and spotted that envelope in there._

_At first I thought someone had sent me a Valentines day card but then I realized it was better. Admittedly I hated you for like a split second, I even formed a ridiculous alliance with my best friend and told her not to let me read it no matter what I said but as soon as I asked for it she just gave it to me, typical Ino for ya._

_You guys...were playing around with sharks o_o'. Men are so strange, is that why you were bleeding? I'm assuming it was your blood right...am I wrong?_

_You have a little brother. Awww. How much younger is he? That sounds pretty horrible, your parents splitting you guys up like that. Maybe you can find out where he is when you come back here safe and sound. :} I'm sorry, that your parents died, I had no idea._

_Your advice is late, I've been wearing the necklace night and day. It doesn't match everything but I can live with that. I get lot's of compliments about it and people say it's worth a fortune._

_I've heard that the symbol represents a powerful clan in the past. Ancestors of yours?_

_So it's like a family emblem...and this was your mothers. I really feel bad for having it now!_

_So, you don't like the legs picture, lmao. Ok so maybe I was just being a dick to you...I just...I just don't think my face is good enough...I'm reminded almost every day that my forehead exceeds it's limit. My eyes are squinty and green and I think it's a bad idea._

_Men have turned to stone once they gazed upon the horror of Cherry._

_I just...like the idea of being a mystery to you...I don't know why, let's blame it on the all women are evil bitches theory._

_Are you okay with that theory? Great!_

_A.R...that was really sweet...but...I really cant go there with you._

_Your so far away and If one month without a letter makes me loose my mind...I really don't know what I'd do if I allowed myself to get absorbed in these letters and feelings and then one day...due to miscommunication or you fucked up on my address :p or the mailman decided to keep your girly scribble...I just stopped recieving letters from you._

_I'm a pretty fragile person and I'm no good to confide feelings in, I barely know how to deal with my own. I don't want to make things complicated but at the same time...I can't pretend that my heart didn't skip a beat while I was reading your letter._

_Your just too good to me...I've just never had someone listen and talk to me the way you do. I feel like I depend on it too much and I don't like feeling this way. I don't want to be let down...I just want you to know, I think about you all the time...all the time._

_well, I...have to get going to class._

_Thanks for writing._

_Goodnight :}_

_Ps- What ever you choose to wack off to is no business of mine._

_Your PePa,_

_CherryKlutz_


	9. Up in the air

"Well don't you look extremely tempting, where you off to this fine afternoon boss lady?"

She nearly walked past a mans soft voice, just because who ever he was talking to he called them boss.

"Sakura...?"

She paused and turned on the heel of her gladiator sandals in the direction of the voice and spotted Karin's husband, Sai.

He smiled adoringly at her and she noticed his eyes intruding her thoroughly. She only swallowed back a few raunchy words that were destined to offend him and put on a smile she knew he'd be able to see past.

"Sai...hello...I'm sorry I didn't even hear you, um, how are you?" She held out a hand and leaned in to grabs his, he did the same with a small smile and shrugged.

"I'm pretty good, Karin and I and the kids we're just fine...and yourself?"

"Busy, busy, busy on top of busy...oh and did I mention busy?"

He laughed flirtatiously at that.

"Well you deserve it."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, god no...I didn't mean like...you deserve it! I meant you deserve the exposure...since now your the head of the medical wing, it's a great honor something I always dreamed about when I was in the medical field and now look at you...from student to teacher huh."

He smiled and nodded reverently.

_Yeah about him teaching me, it was a course in high school and I failed with flying colors because he was a horrible teacher and it's not because he lacked the information...it was because he lacked the ability to make anyone actually want to learn. We read guide after guide and took tests the next day after. It had been the worse class ever and personally I was glad to fail because I got kicked out of the class the next semester and joined Kurenai's class which had been an improvement. _

_No offense to Sai but he needed to take classes on giving classes...and on reckless flirtation because he wasn't exactly being discreet with that drool on his mouth._

_Men..._

"Yeah I guesso, well, I have to get going I have to get my bags and head to the airport, it was nic-"

"Airport?" He furrowed a brow.

"Ya, didn't Karin tell you, I'm taking a tour in Suna..."

He nodded with a slight frown.

"Mhhm be careful."

"No...it's not that part of Suna it's the tourist attraction there...no where near the danger thank god, although, that wouldn't be so bad either...I could use some hands on tra-"

"Sakura, the city of Suna isn't much of a tourist attraction these days, even the people who live in that city are trying to leave, sneaking over the boarders to either come here or wherever any city is, it's been utter chaos. I've heard from a very close friend that there's a terrorist organization..." He suddenly began to snap his fingers and frown intently trying to recall a bit of information.

"Akatsuki! There's been a lot of talk about them, kidnapping our soldiers and Suna soldiers it's been all over the news. I don't really think they're on anyone's side so...you watch your back once you land in Suna and give Karin and I a call to let us know your alright, is that too much?"

_OMG why did he and Karin have to be these two kind people who were so infuriatingly in love with one another that it made almost everyone who came into contact with them want to blow their heads off. Why did I have to be guilty about my earlier thoughts now that he showed some concern for my well being. _

_heh...heh...I guess I could stand to call him and gush about where ever I'd be staying, maybe they had some type of penthouse for me to lounge around in. Can't wait to see what's in store for me._

_The news, I don't watch it so I don't believe in it. I'm sure Suna has got to be a little better than it had been a few years ago. Sure the war never ended but I'm sure their city doesn't look like utter crap. _

_and why wouldn't people try to leave there, it was a war zone, if Konoha was under attack, everyone would be jacking up their shit and trying to flee to Suna._

"Not at all, see you later and can you make sure Karin bathes Hiko thrice a day." Sakura called holding up three fingers.

"The cat?" He asked.

Sakura nodded.

_Ino refused to take care of Hiko, I could understand why. Hiko wasn't really a fan of Ino's and vice versa, every time they were in the same room both of them got pretty frisky and hissed at one another competitively. _

_I usually pack a spray bottle for both of them when their bickering gets out of my control, which is all the time._

_Ino calls Hiko ugly and Hiko...well, he like's the element of surprise, usually he scratches her and runs off to some cat efficient area where Ino cant fit in to strangle him to death._

"Yes I hope that's no problem.."

"Course not." He waved his hands in front of his face. "I'm sure the kids'll love him...he is kid friendly right?"

_Uh...I guess there is a clause in our agreement...NAH...Hiko's not that horrible, he won't use one of their kids as a scratching post...I hope...fuck, those kids are toast..._

"Yes, yes of course...well it was fun chatting, Hiko's in his cage in the lobby..I only came by to drop the little fur ball off but thank you guys."

"No problem and be careful."

"I'll try."

_Scrubs._

_Check._

_Socks._

_Check._

_Ticket, compass, brochure of Suna before the war, when they were our friends and hadn't assassinated our president._

_Check._

_Grannie Panties._

_Check, just to remind myself that I'm not going here for any funny business I'll make sure my underwear are too embarrassing to share. So check, check, check honey!_

She stared up at the cat clock, it's tail wafting beneath it's body back and fourth along with it's wary eyes. She had plenty of time to do a thorough check.

The pink haired women yawned and slapped her palm against her small burgundy suite case that didn't even look as full as a weeks worth should be.

_I'm not barbie, I don't have a playhouse full of accessories and god knows I lack the required amount of clothes that most women should have. _

She wasn't sure why she would need clothes anyways, she spent almost every waking moment in the hospital in her scrubs and lab coat and usually Ino played dress up on her when she did take a night to enjoy herself.

_Maybe I can take a day or two off when I get back...go shopping at The Peer or something. _

She yawned again, stretching her arms up high above her head and leaning slightly back until it gave off a small rewarding snap.

She licked her lips and felt a little drowsy.

"Nothing a little nap can't cure."

She clambered to her feet and left the bag as it was and retreated to her room, she hadn't exactly gotten much sleep last night after Ino drove her home and they had a long discussion about things she had thought she had forgotten.

Her bedroom lights were on, she dragged her feet across the harsh carpet and copied Hiko, springing onto the bed only to sprawl out on top of the mattress.

She could hear paper crackling beneath her and realized that she had probably been destroying the new patients paperwork with her body.

She opened her eyes slightly and spotted a single word on the sheet of a paper.

_Love._

The word was written in her hand writing and her eyes remained opened, staring at the word on the paper as if it would just vanish under her gaze.

She reached out a hand and turned the paper over, only to be just as bothered by another piece of paper that read this same word, in her handwriting.

_What the hell.._

She swiped the pieces of notebook paper from on top of her peach comforter with a vengeance and tried to allow her eyes to sank shut...only she saw the words again but they were not in her handwriting, this type of scrawl was different.

Very elegant and patient. She stared at this word and a warm feeling, like honey, slid down her spine.

She trembled slightly and read on from there.

_..love you, can you handle me saying that? Is it even returned, ha-ha, I don't know why I'm asking that because I'm damn sure that you love me._

_No matter how many sarcastic remarks you write because your afraid to tell me what's on your mind...the harder you fight me the harder I'll fight you back, until I get out of here and we're face to face and your talking your shit and I'm just looking at you because I know how to shut you up.I just need to be close enough to your lips to initiate that, Sakura._

She stared at the letter for a moment, it was pretty crumbly, worn out and stained with dry tears. She sat up on her elbows and continued reading.

_Speaking of getting out of here...guess who's the lucky fuck coming home? I'll give you a lil hint, it's this mother fucker, right here. _

_Excited? I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't know how to just go back to life without all of this adrenaline I've accumulated over here. Even now, when everyone's around and we're told we're perfectly safe, I'm still looking over my shoulder waiting for someone to get gunned down or a near by explosion to fuck up my hearing._

_There's a truce, for now, we're all being in-processed or accounted for and getting treatment tomorrow but for now everyone's just trying to figure out who's still alive...it's really loud out here, there's a lot of celebration but also ton's of grieving men looking very lost._

_We've lost at least a few thousand at least...but we also have a good bit alive, that has to count for something._

_Fuck, babe, this is crazy...I can't believe this. I've been thinking about this happening since the first letter I received from you but I couldn't picture it and even now I still can't. I feel like this is a cruel joke just waiting to punch me in the gut._

_I guess, when I get there you've gotta help me since I'm slightly sightless but I'm not blind enough to not be able to see you. If I really am going to loose my sight I'd rather it happen after I see your face. If my eyes shut down afterwards, fuck them, I'll still be able to smell you or hear you._

_Kisame's handwriting couldn't have been that appealing I'm sure since you sent back the last letter with critiquing. That was fucked up. I'm just glad he took the time out to help me continue to write to you. That's my boy and I'm going to miss our kill tactics._

_We made a deadly team._

_Well I'm going to go slaughter the meal they've got for us because I don't want you to see me the way I am, I wanna look like I actually put in some hours at a gym or combative training instead of some scrawny guy who looks like they escaped Suna by the skin of their ass. :)_

_Send me your number babe..._

_-A.R._

Sakura closed her eyes after reading the letter and remembered the exact morning he called. She was in her dorm room with Ino trying to think of something to do on a Friday night because it had been her birthday. Well, she was trying to convince Ino that her birthday was nothing to be proud of but Ino kept insisting, as usual, that they go all big and rent limo's and make an appearance at the brand new club down town.

_Typical Ino...and her big entrance schemes. She embodied the role of a diva back then almost as well as she does it now._

Sakura smiled at the thought and remembered texting Shikamaru on her phone, whom had a better idea that they all go for a hike up a small mountain.

"How about a hike?" Sakura asked Ino, peeking at her friend from behind her cellphone. Ino who had also been texting stared at her friend.

"How about you just shoot me and put me out of my misery because you've just took a shit on my parade lady.."

Sakura just rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"If only I had a gun." She uttered.

She went back to texting.

_To: Nara, Shikamaru_

_Shik, Ino's being In-_

**INCOMING CALL...**

**Uknown.**

She remembered just freezing there for a moment and then she began to hyperventilate. Ino, being the concerned friend that she was just stared at her as though she were psychotic.

"Now do you see why that wasn't a good idea, Hiking.." Ino scoffed throwing up a hand as if to say, 'why do I bother'.

"Ino!...he's calling what do I do?" Sakura placed a hand to her chest and continued to breath harshly.

She could feel a spark of both panic and excitement.

"Well if your breathing that hard, don't answer the phone darling, it's bad manners."

"INO-PIGGGG" She whined.

Ino, cat-walked over and snatched the phone from her friends hand.

"Hello A.R, I'm assuming. " She purred and then her mouth gaped open and she nearly choked.

"Oh my gosh Kitkat I had no idea you were with sprint...damn operator!" She clicked the end button and Sakura hopped to her feet.

"What did he say...what did you do!"

"Your cellphone bill was due last week, I'm surprised they didn't terminate your service yet. You've better get a move on that."

Sakura only frowned and then sighed.

_It wasn't him. _

So the entire day of her birthday she kept her phone near and high pitched. Ino wound up getting her wish with the big bang party. They ordered a limo and a group of friends to cram into it and clubbed at 'Butt Naked' for a few hours. Sakura left for home early, she had been tired and all out of juice for the day.

At home she didn't even take her dress off, she slid into her bed and began to drift off into a subconscious state until she heard her phone's piercing tone touching her ears repeatedly.

Groaning, she reached her hand down into the purse over her head and dug out her cellphone. Without a glace at the caller I.D she clicked was she assumed would be the talk button.

"...llo?" She spoke softly listening to the static in the background. It was quiet for a moment and then she heard a light laugh, very full and velvety. It made her spine tremble.

She grinned tiredly but couldn't fight off the sleep that attacked her limb by limb.

"Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu...Sakura."

A husk voice responded, like honey in her ears, her skin felt like goose flesh and she laughed exhaustively.

"Arigato..."

More silence.

"...I'm so sorry...I'm just.." She breathed out into the phone. "...so sleepy."

"It's alright, I'm satisfied...even if all I hear is your heavy ass breathing, do you have asthma?" He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Very funny..." she murmured gently.

"Sleep, I'll see you soon." he cooed in that lovely dark voice of his.

"No...don't...hang up, please."

Another long silence and some shuffling on his end. He said something to someone but she didn't know what he said. She was sure that their were other men waiting to talk on the phone but she didn't care about the other men, as horrible as that sounded.

His voice was like a gentle humming in her ears, like a song that pushed her further and further to sleep and made her feel safe and snug. It would be too soon to just say goodbye.

He made a light noise that seemed like a scoff but a laugh as well.

"Hurry up and get here..." She whispered, eyes opening slightly, awaiting his response.

"I'm trying."

"Try harder." She begged in a lilting tone, she could hear his breath stop for a moment and then he let it out.

"What do you want from me?"

"E...everything.."

Sakura could feel her fingers subconsciously moving, thumb rubbing at the side of the phone as she listen to him suck in a heavy breath.

"Oh really?"

"Definitely."

"Then I guess I'll just go awol, beat up a bunch of Suna citizens on a boat, steal the fucking boat and basically fuck over everyone because the treaty would definitely be torn apart. Are you prepared for that?"

"haha, someone thinks they're bad ass enough to steal a boat from Suna citizens...I guess the Military shelters extreme ego's as well."

"I don't think I'm a bad ass, people tell me I'm a bad ass."

"haha I gave you too much credit, I didn't really think you were conceited...until now."

"Well I didn't give you enough credit...you sound, so sexy when your sleepy..."

She laughed harder and shook her head, drained.

"Don't flatter me with such compliments...your conceited enough for the both of us...I refuse to be infected."

"I wish I was there."

"Me too."

"Hey I have to ask you something."

"Shoot, I'm all..." She yawned. "...ears"

"Where do you live?"

"I'm in Suya University...building five eighty twwwwwo, room sixteen-fourteen."

"Say it slower."

"I'm in Suya University, building five eighty two, room sixteen-fourteen..."

"Now, moan it."

"Cut it out!" She laughed, he laughed to.

"Did you write that down?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"When can I expect you and your captivating eyes to make an interesting appearance on my doorstep."

"Soon enough to surprise you hopefully."

"Yeah, hopefully."

"I love you...and if I could get away with it, I'd run my ass...non stop...all the way from Suna to Konoha...it's nothing...only like, a two day drive, fifteen hour plane ride and a whopping thirteen day journey by foot "

It was so sudden that it made her stop breathing for a brief two or three seconds. She stared at her wall and smiled deeply feeling her stomach get queasy and fluttery.

She wanted to tell him but she wasn't sure if it would sound as genuine and authentic as the way his voice just sounded.

_Well first I need to know his name. _

"I can't go on calling you A.R forever..."

He made a noise under his breath that sounded like a curse.

"Itachi."

"Weasel..."

He began to say something but a beeping screamed in her ear and then the phone just buzzed and she yanked it from her ear to stare at the screen.

No service.

_Seriously they cut me off...fucking Sprint..Fuck, I'll be angry about this...tomorrow._

In the present, the incessant gonging of the doorbell dragged her back into her bedroom and she looked over her shoulder just as frantic knocking befell her apartment.

She frowned.

"I'm coming!" She called out.

She hopped out of bed and began to stroll for the door, the attacker continued to bang remorselessly.

She pulled back the door and spotted Ino.

Sakura gasped at the appearance of her friend, placing a palm to her chest.

"Ino..."

Her hair was in knots and all over the place, shirt torn, a think line of blood on her shoulder and gore staining her blouse like she had been sleeping in a pool of it. She started to scream out too many words, pointing and crying, lips trembling barely able to frame her composure.

Sakura stared at her like a foreigner.

_What on Earth...Oh my god.._

"Shikamaru...Sasuke!" She choked out through her cries, eyes blood shot. This was easily the most horrible appearance Sakura had ever seen her friend make.

Sakura reached out to touch the bright red gash on her forehead that began to gush down to her brow but Ino slapped her hand.

"T-T-there's no time, Shikamaru...S-s-s-ASUKE are still in the car!"

"Oh my god...show me where they are!"

Finally comprehending that they had all been in a car accident, Sakura grabbed a jacket from the living room chair and she and Ino rushed off out of her apartment abandoning the front door.


	10. The Million Dollar Question

The scene could only be described as one word.

Catastrophic.

The car was teetering on the top middle of it's hood like a turtle that had fallen over. Shards of the window glass littered the street and glinted beneath the dim street light.

Metal was bending as though it were a priceless resource. The headlights flickered and the horn blared out it's distress to anyone that would hear.

The scene was already starting to catch the eyes of spectators, people began to skirt the area and a few began to run out and try to rescue Shikamaru and Sasuke from the ruins of the car.

Ino was pulling Sakura along, palms wet, legs snapping out in front of her to rescue her husband dragging a dazed Sakura to the rescue.

"I'm going to go see if they can get Shikamaru out, Sak, please...I know you hate him but don't let him die he's my friend too..."

Sakura let out a heavy breath and nodded.

"Ino, I'm not just going to watch him die..."

_No matter what I thought about him the rules of the hospital still applied, a life is a life...no matter how insignificant it's proved itself to be._

Ino snatched her hand away after mouthing, 'thank you.' and ran towards the driver seat of the car.

Sakura huffed out another breath and ran towards the gathering near the back seat. The window hadn't smashed out of that window for some god forsaken reason.

She gathered around the attempt to free Sasuke and heard a bunch of chattering from the locals. She frowned and tried to see inside of the car from behind the four heads in front of her.

She spotted him and for some strange reason she expected him to be smiling idiotically beyond the glass but instead he was dormant.

Eyes closed, face very...peaceful as if he were dead, hair hanging away from his face like smooth silk. It looked like he was drowning under water instead of being upside down in the back seat of a mustang.

There was a single scarlet trace of blood leaking from the the corner of his lip, it crawled it's way beneath his cheek and then over his left eye.

Someone was flashing a light in his face.

_Is he dead...?_

It was really beginning to look that way, there was no color in his skin and suddenly Sakura felt as though this was all her fault, like almost anything that happens in the hospital where loosing a life was involved she had always put a notch on her grave for it.

Thoughtlessly and in the mindset of her job, she tapped one of the spectators on the shoulder.

"Can one of you help me break the window in?"

The man looked genuinely flabbergasted and the man beside him stepped in.

"We thought of that miss but it's way too close to his face."

"He can afford to get uglier..." She retorted. "...but he can't do that, if he's dead...right?"

They both just stared at her in bewilderment and then shrugged.

"Can't we just crawl through the other window in the back seat and pull him out from that side?" asked a women who stood up to question Sakura.

"That would be easier, if the passenger seat hadn't been lodged up in that side of the car, it's a dead end Anko."

"Ok, so now that we've accomplished that it's a dead end on that side, what the hell are we waiting for, let's get that boy out of there."

A man called out quickly stripping off his vest and binding it around his clenched fist. Everyone stood around him in nail biting suspense.

He didn't seem to be tensed under the presser.

"Did anyone call the ambulance?"

"Way ahead of you, they're on their way"

Sakura looked over at the drivers side.

She could see Shikamaru's lifeless hand being slid across the asphalt as the team succeeded in pulling him out of the broken window. The car horn discontinued and she could hear Ino's hysterical cries and that alone made her feel like a bad person because she hadn't been any closer to getting Sasuke out or much help for the cause.

A glass popped viciously and a grey haired man continued to punch at it until, eventually there was a dangerously jagged entrance into the back seat.

"Good job Kakashi!" a man with the strangest bowl cut initiated a fist pump.

As she predicted some of the shards of glass had gotten into Sasuke's hair and dug their way into the skin of his face, she was certain that the silver haired man had probably punched him one good time too. That was just how close he was to the window.

_Too bad he couldn't feel it...ugh...I'm sooooh mean..._

"Poor guy." A women whispered behind Sakura, Sakura turned around to stare and realized the women looked old enough to be someone's great grandmother so she probably didn't know that he wasn't as poor and helpless as he looked.

_Pssh...poor, he had probably made a few good bucks from our porno.._

Sakura frowned at the rescue despite herself, she just couldn't settle for that hospital mentality when the man had almost ruined her career.

She thought she could be the bigger person in this serious circumstance and swallow her pride but faced with this cold dose of reality, she was realizing that it was easier said than done.

She stared at Sasuke's lashes, nearly touching his cheek. His lips which held neither a frown or smile...it was just this face, this face that looked very familiar and yet very hated.

_How could someone so disgusting and heartless look so fragile and hurt, I think I like him better when his eyes and mouth are closed because when they're opened he is the epitome of asshole...ugh _

It was strange trying to be a good person, especially when no one was watching and the weight of their stare wasn't on you to make sure you did the right thing.

Standing there, she wanted nothing more than to walk away and check on Shikamaru, leave Sasuke's rescue to the people who seemed perfectly capable of being this close to him because just a day ago she didn't even want to be in the same room with him.

"Move back, we've got him!" Someone called out and they began to pull Sasuke from the glass as though they were extracting something from a can.

Sakura stared wide eyed at him and could see that he had more gashes and scratches on his face than before from them pulling him out of the jagged window.

Two man hauled him out like lumber and bought him over to the sidewalk. Sakura shadowed the rescue, always standing a few paces behind everyone and looking lost, as though she herself was just rescued from the accident.

She looked back at the car and sighed.

_It was a sheer miracle that Ino had made it out of that metal contraption_.

"God dammit! He-he stopped breathing!" Someone called out in panic.

Sakura stepped a little closer to the gathering of about fifteen people and watched a man began to improperly start in on CPR, desperately, without even pumping air into Sasuke's mouth he began the chest compressions. Exerting a criminal amount of strength and moving at a rate that grannies died out in.

_At this rate he'll probably die...well, I know what I have to do. I hate Sasuke but I'm not just going to sit here and watch him die knowing that I'm certified to save him. I can pretend that he's not an asshole who taped us having sex and leaked it on the internet. I can treat him just like any other patient in need of medical attention. He was hurt and he needed to be cared for and clearly, I'm the only one who has the chops to save a life out here. _

_Here I go._

"Excuse me...I'm a doctor."

_Now who's conceited and cliche...those are the most original words in a movie. _

Everyone just looked up and the man preforming CPR rushed out of the way. Sakura fell to her knee's near Sasuke's face and checked for vital signs.

_Pulse is still going but very...Fuck, it stopped...Really asshole, I touch you one time and now you die!_

She grabbed his chin and turned his face up right towards the nights luminous sky and then she ducked her head quickly and delivered two breaths.

After the breaths she checked if the oxygen had motivated him to breath but his chest remained lifeless.

_Fuck...really, your going to make me work really hard to keep you alive aren't you..._

Quickly, she went into the thirty compressions, rapidly...watching Sasuke's face to see if the color would decide to reappear again.

His face was pretty gory and aligned with more scratches.

_Just your luck, now you have scratches on your face to match the one's on your body._

She knew it was wrong to think this way but for some reason the mind commentary was distracting her from the part of her that wanted to abandon the mission.

Everyone around her began to chatter, probably doubting the method.

"...you asshole.." She huffed between pumps, staring at his head that bobbled with only the motion of her gestures, it wasn't him making any of the moves.

His face remained very stolid and for a moment Sakura was just as in anticipation as all of the spectators awaiting the results.

She was sure she was doing it right and he had just gone under not too long ago.

_What the fuck is happening..._

She ducked down again to deliver two more breaths, locking her lips with his and making sure the air had a direct path to flow down. She could smell a nice fresh scent on him and taste cinnamon on her tongue.

_Come on.._

She started on the compressions again this time making sure they were delivered with a urgency that his heart couldn't refuse and yet the results remained the same.

"Sakura..." She could hear Ino's wary voice over her, thus making this so much harder.

"It's not over yet..." She called out breathlessly just before breathing into him again.

"Oh no.." Someone whispered hopelessly.

She could hear the wailing sirens of the ambulance flourishing around the area, car doors slamming shut and voices getting stern and vital.

A walkie talkie splurged with static and an assortment of voices.

Sakura closed her eyes.

"It's okay..." Ino assured her in a grave tone.

"No...it's not...I don't want him dead Ino, I don't want this on my conscious." She leaned in to give him more air.

_Don't be stubborn! Breath...dammit._

She used all of the good force she could muster, trying to calm her own breathing as she continued at the desperate attempt to see this through.

"...but it's not your fault." Ino had crouched down beside her and wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulder's. She couldn't see the pink haired women's eyes because she was still leaning over Sasuke, pumping away.

"Yes it is...I was so busy hating him...that I wasn't trying to save him." She informed her best friend staring at his face she frowned up and began to realize a resemblance in her mind of someone but she just couldn't put her thumb on who he resembled.

_He...looks just like...no...can't be.._

She tried to shake the resemblance out of her mind, she hadn't seen the picture in so long that she was sure she was just dredging up anything at this point.

_No...your nothing like him...what was I thinking.._

Ino continued to hold on to her but let go once she leaned over to blow breath into him for the last time. This time she stayed a bit longer blowing more than twice into his mouth and she was rewarded.

First she heard a gasp beneath her lips and then he blew a weak breath back into her.

She opened her eyes and a moment later so did he.

His eyes were exactly like smoke and mirrors, his brows were low over his brows and for a moment he just stared at her and then his eyes rolled back and she felt something slide against her tongue.

Sakura quickly jerked her head away from his and spat over her shoulder with a look of disgust once she realized his tongue had touched hers.

Sasuke, looking high off his ass, sat up slowly with a natural wince to his left eye and stared at the faces looming over his body. Ino attacked him, hugging him harshly.

"You stupid fucker!" She cried and began to sob on his shoulder.

He leaned back on his hands and looked over Ino's shoulder to where Sakura sat quietly, breathing harshly and looking disoriented.

Slowly, feeling his eyes on her she turned towards him, starring back. She ignored a strand of her lengthy bang that swung in the air and then touched her lip as she exhaled.

Her skin felt moist and sticky, the taste of cinnamon still lingered on her tongue with the coppery taste of blood. She shivered, staring into those mirrors of smoke that trapped her in them, viciously.

_Captivating..._

"hn." he said in a hard tone but his eyes remained neutral just before he looked down at Ino. "Where's Shikamaru...is that blind bastard alright?"

"Don't talk shit...he's just fine, lost a lot of blood but he's still conscious enough to talk about stupid shoji game with one of the medics. "

"You?"

"A few cuts and bruises...nothing to cry about...but you...you were dead Sasuke..."

"Nah, I just suffered the snow white defect."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Sakura just watched his face, how there was something other than anger in his eyes when he was talking to someone that wasn't her.

The way he talked to Ino, it was like he actually cared about her. He suddenly looked up at her as if he could hear her thoughts and she quickly turned her head away to stare at the team of medics making their way to Sasuke.

Sasuke, sensing the entrapment that he would be banished to stood to his feet, nearly throwing Ino onto the pavement. He almost fell right on his face. Ino tried to assist but he dodged her fingers spinning away as if she was the plague.

"I'm fine!" He hissed sharply, rubbing a thumb over the blood at the corner of his lip. He turned away from the spectators bewildered stares, he began to walk away quickly with a limp to his walk.

Sakura frowned.

"What the hell is this guy doing, with a limp like that he wont get far."

"He never liked hospitals." Ino interjected watching his back and shaking her head.

_So she cares about him a lot more than she led on. Crying indicates a lot pig.._

Sakura stared at her watch momentarily and gasped.

_Shit._

"There goes my plane in thirty minutes.." She muttered with a sigh, she raked back her peach hair.

"Well, the airport doesn't take a thirty minute ride, hurry up and get to the plane."

Sakura shook her head and got to her feet.

"Are you kidding me, Shikamaru and you-"

"Are just fine. Shikamaru just wasn't paying attention and the car just came out of no where...it was just an accident and a lucky coincidence that it was behind your apartment."

"Ya but I can't just leave after this."

"And why can't you?"

"Well cau-"

"No excuses...everyone will be in perfect health when you get back here in one week. Sakura you've been looking forward to this tour so please, get your little ass on that plane and fly to Suna or I'll drag you there."

The tears in Ino's eyes were still very much apparent, she was still emotional about the accident because she could hear the pain in her voice, like she hadn't finished getting over it yet. Her body trembled and she looked very traumatized.

_I can't leave, I want to but...this changes everything._

She could still see Sasuke, he was nearing a light pole further down the street, hair wind blown.

"Ino I'm not going, I don't need a tour and look at you...your a bigger mess than usual." She teased. Her best friend chuckled.

"I know...this blood goes with nothing I'm wearing, I may as well be a zombie."

The medics came around with their utensils to heal, gurney placed on the ground and without any warning they kidnapped Ino.

Ino allowed them to lay her down and they began to probe her for a pulse and readings. She stared at Sakura.

"Your really not going?" She asked.

Sakura sighed and nodded.

"I'm really not going.."

"Good because I knew your reason and I'd rather you be cooped up in a hospital with me than to be wandering Suna city for a perfect stranger...not when those terrorist, the Akatsuki are out there being drama queens, that's all I hear on the news."

Sakura chuckled.

"Shut up Ino." She whispered, trying to see past all of the blood on her face. Ino grinned and they began to carry her off, Sakura ran to stand behind the four man carry, grabbing Ino's hand.

Ino stared at her and sighed.

"Sakura, I know I keep asking you to do things for me that I know you loath doing but I need to ask you one more favor."

"Oh...well ask, I'll decide whether I'm going to deny it or not."

Ino smiled.

"Sasuke, can you...give that dumb ass a little home visit, as Dr. Sakura, I know-I know you guys are beefing and all but he almost died and I don't think that asshole get's that."

Sakura only nodded, she wasn't sure if she was really going to ever be alright with Sasuke but she was glad that she didn't just watch him die.

If he had died she didn't know what that would do to her, she had never lost anyone since she was the head.

"Ok." She said. "...but for now I'm sticking by you and Shik."

Ino only nodded and closed her blood shot eyes with a shaky sigh. She stared at the scene, in search for the other car but she only spotted a few tire marks and then...nothing.

"Ino, where is the other car?" She inquired stretching her neck and looking for it.

"I don't know but it was coming down the wrong end of the street...so we're gettin paper for sure."

"What the fuck, the wrong end of the street?"

"Ya I know, aligned and everything...we got hit head on."

"Ino...were they, speeding?"

"Probably, since Shikamaru didn't even see it coming until it was too late."

_Well if that's the case..._

"Then it wasn't a car accident sweetheart, someone was trying to kill your friends." The silver haired man was now walking beside them.

Sakura stared at him for a moment.

"Kill them...who?"

"That's the billion dollar question." The silver haired man informed her with a small shrug, he stared up at the sky and took a deep breath.

_Kill them...but why? Ino and Shikamaru had very few enemies if any...but Sasuke, hmph, the amount of women he's pissed off, not to mention the men who lost their women. _

_Anyone could want him dead, I thought I did, so who's to say that this speculation couldn't be true._

_Someone wanted Sasuke dead...very dead from the looks of it._


	11. Enemy Of My Enemy

**Google**

* * *

_Itachi_

* * *

**Did you mean: **_**Itachi Uchiha?**_

_No...I meant Itachi..._

**Top three results for **_**Itachi**_

1. Itachi: Narutopedia the Naruto Encyclopedia Wiki

2. Itachi Wallpapers

3. Itachi Full biography.

_How useless is Google?...What the hell is a Narutopedia...how far does Wikipedia go with this stuff? None of these even sound remotely close to what I was looking for...maybe a few keywords would narrow it down._

**Google **_Itachi, Military, Suna, Special OP's_

**Top three results for Itachi, Military, Suna, Special OP'S**

1. ANBU BO Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Pein...etc

2. Sunagakure's new youthful Kazekage(president) Gaara S.

3. Kawaii Gaara pics, Sunagakure's youngest Kazekage

_Hmph the only actual thing that has Itachi's name in it seems to be the first result...and Kisame...coincidence? I think not!_

Sakura sat at the coffee table in her living room a few weeks after the accident. Hiko was soundlessly asleep at her feet.

If you hadn't known that she had a cat you would assume that a furry blanket was bundled up over her toes to keep her warm.

Sakura could feel the kittens full round stomach pressing against her toes with every breath. A few times the cat would pull it's head out from beneath his paws and stare around before taking a stroll to the milk bowl to lap up a few sips before strolling back to take another nap.

_Ya lazy bucket of furr._

She thought to herself reaching down to slip a finger behind his small twitchy ears and massage the abundant silky fur. The cat purred delightfully and Sakura slid the mouse back and fourth impatiently on the table awaiting the page to load.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. Her eyes darted towards the space behind her laptop and she found it there. Gliding with a buzz on the table top, screen flashing with the pig screen savor.

**Incoming Call...**

**Maddam Pigglet**

_Ino..._

With an aggravated sigh, she abandoned the cat and the mouse and snatched up the phone.

"Yo?"

"Don't be mad..."

The pink haired women grabbed up her empty tea mug from behind the napkin dispenser and rolled her eyes.

"With a line like, don't be mad, I can always expect that I'm going to be mad..so since I'm going to be mad you may as well tell me what you've done."

Ino huffed into the phone.

"No because if I'd like to give you good news first...before the bad news, that sometimes makes the booboo feel better right?"

"Um...no...I want the bad news now."

"Erm...well."

Sakura tossed the mug into the sink and froze with her hand on the faucet.

"Ino, is everything okay at the hospital?"

"No..I mean, Ya it's not that...everything's running smoothly here. You know Ten's doing her thing as H.B.I.C for today it's just..well..."

There was suddenly a gentle knock on the door. Sakura looked over her shoulder and spotted motion behind the piece of glass decor around the door frame.

She sighed exhaustively.

"Spit it out Ino, I don't have time to play charades there's someone at my door."

"...and that someone may or may not be someone you hate..."

Sakura gasped.

"Ino you didn't!" She hissed in a whisper suddenly.

"Sakura he almost died...and that idiots walking around with an enormous gash in his arm, he won't go to the doctors and the DOCTOR wasn't going to come to him...and neither was he."

"So what changed his mind?"

She hissed back at Ino's hiss.

"I don't know...THE PAIN?.." she shot back sarcastically. "..Sakura, isn't it enough that he's come to your door step to ask for your help."

"He hasn't asked anything yet..."

More knocking, slowly.

"...stay on hold, I might need you if this is going to go the way I think it's going to go."

"What, why?"

"because your the reason the douche bag is here!"

She hissed and slammed her phone on the counter above the sink and wrapped her knitted jacket robe around her small form.

This was one of her day's off and she hadn't really been dressed for the occasion to meet with anybody. She wore a pair of grey yoga pants, a pink tank top and a knitted robe her mother had passed down to her.

Hiko raced to the door, tail high in the air, nearly trotting.

Sakura repressed a smile at his innocent face when he spotted her behind her, the cat tilted it's head and Sakura snapped her fingers for him to flee.

"This doesn't concern you nosy one..." she pointed towards the chair and the cat began to retrace it's tracks back beneath the pinewood table.

Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear.

_Play nice..don't feed into his jerkful behavior, he's here because you have something he need's...your in control...your in control...your in control..._

After reciting this mantra several more times she sighed.

"I'm in control..." She whispered just as a louder knock was issued.

Sakura jerked back the door angrily.

"I was come...ing...Oh...m-my gosh...Lady Tsunade?"

The blond haired women seemed startled at first at her pupils assault but then grinned.

"Well if it isn't my youngest and most successful apprentice...may I have a word with you?"

She stepped passed the bewildered young women, into her home.

"Oh...this is so lovely, so much crystal and books...it even smells like Ink and paper in here and febreze. I remember when I had my bachelorette pad."

_Hmph how many years ago was that...like eighty-four...?_

She turned around in her green robe and jean pants.

"I've heard very good things, returning from Suna...I wasn't certain that I'd be glad to hear what has been going on here. I've intrusted my hospital to many before you and they've all let me down but you Sakura, you've picked up their slack. You ran the clinic like it was your bitch and because of that I've decided to appoint a special mission to you."

_Ha...so the video didn't get to Suna yet...wait until she talks with all of the nurses, they'll relay that mishap very quick. _

Sakura, fumbled with the door stupidly, too wary of this special mission to really pay much attention to anything else but the next words out of her mouth.

"Special like...Cerebrospinal or...like...Cardiomegaly?"

_Special medic comparisons, it's like we medics have our own language. Dumb people beware._

"Neither."

She shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"You might want to offer me a drink and a seat because to convince you...this is going to take awhile." She smiled. Sakura finally got the door closed.

_Great, I didn't go to work so work came to me...and I really don't see this special mission happening for long if Sasuke pop's in with the intent of pissing me off. _

"The special patient Karin mentioned to you that day, he's a criminal, a rogue nin is the military term."

"A criminal...of war?"

"Correct."

"Why is he here then, shouldn't he be in the dungeons of Konoha getting the fluff torn out of his ass?"

"It doesn't quite work that way." She laughed taking a sip of her tea and sitting with an unbearable amount of authority at Sakura's table. "...and since when have you known this city to convict without trial?"

"Never but this is different, he killed thousands of people and that's just immoral..how could anyone justify that...and not to mention it's a slight bit frightening that he's going to be in our hospital..."

"...he _is_ in our hospital, he's been here for awhile now under the supervision of countless Konoha Shinobi."

"What?"

"My goodness Haruno, have you not been looking in on him?"

She asked in a husk tone that simply demanded a sufficient enough answer. Sakura swallowed hard.

_Fuck me!_

"Not really...I..." She sighed. "...to be honest I over looked it, I had a lot on my plate and I didn't feel-"

"You didn't feel it was necessary to check on a special case? Haruno, what if I told you this special case was dire to the mission of the Military and any doctor with this type of exposure and credit to their name would be truly abundant in both money and reputation...wildly known and referred to..."

"Then I would say...I'll look in on him immediately..."

"Wrong answer."

She held up a single long finger, red talons looking vicious as she moved it from side to side. She closed her eyes and took another sip.

_b-but the money is always right...I got it wrong?.._

"While this may be the case, to achieve success in the mission is even greater because if he dies, neither Suna nor Konoha will be at peace because they all need someone to blame and this criminal is the man they all agree restarted this war. He and a group of terrorist..."

"Akatsuki?...A member of some terrorist organization is in our hospital!"

She couldn't deny the chilly feeling that clang to her flesh like the breath of death.

"Yes but he's really sick, he's going to need a good doctor to fix up his heart and I believe we may have found her in you..."

"Me...what...I'm just a baby doctor, barely out of training wheels. I could fuck this all up."

Tsunade pressed her firm lips against the ceramic cup and shook her head.

"..But you won't." She answered with enough assurance to almost make Sakura believe her.

Sakura leaned into the table and raked her fingers through her hair.

"How can you be so sure.."

"...because." The blond haired women said smiling fondly. "I see a great deal of myself in your eyes Sakura...your ambition...your drive, it's all that motivates you and you love to solve problems...your remarkable and I trust in you far more than any other doctor to take care of this situation. Now, I'll be around to give you a few pointers here and there when I'm not taking care of the press and trying to free the hospital from the publicity but I've reason to think that you don't really need my hand of guidance. Your beyond the need of a babysitter, right?"

"Yes...I guesso. "

"So you'll be in bright and early tomorrow to began?"

"Of course...but the Criminal...is he-"

"Completely unconscious...it's the way they found him in the canyon and..just in case he does wake up, he's cuffed to the bed and don't forget the security."

The pink haired women took a deep breath and then nodded quickly. This was a lot to take in and she hadn't the slightest idea why Tsuande was putting this much amount of trust in her but if her Sensei believed in her she could only adopt that belief as her own and try her hardest not to kill the fugitive.

"Okay that all sounds great, let's just hope..he's really unconscious."

Tsunade laughed in a way that almost seemed to question the information she just put out.

"You'll be fine."

"So, your back...how was Suna?"

"The city, beautiful...even in ruins it's remarkable that the city is nearly underground. The children were so cute and welcoming and their parent's...but after all of this, war and pain there are some who weren't very happy about our arrival, even though we are trying to help they still see us as nothing more then the enemy but that's all going to change..."

"Oh ya and why's that?"

_Suddenly after all these friggan years?_

"Their new Kazekage, Gaara, he's the reason why I stand before you today...when I was due to be back two years from now."

"What do you mean?"

"This young man single handedly stopped everyone from fighting...his remarkable bravery is just...astounding."

"...how?"

"He snuck into Konoha and talked to our Hokage, Naruto."

"What the heck...people can just sneak in here..."

"Don't you watch the news Haruno?"

"No."

"You should seriously start, the wars over because now both the leaf and the Sand have a common enemy. The Akatsuki. Tonight both the Kaze and the Hokage are giving speeches to address what's going on."

_Hmm..maybe I should tune in.._

Tsunade suddenly reached out across the table and grabbed at the chain on Sakura's neck.

She smiled.

"That's beautiful, the paper fan...when I was a young girl, many moons ago, my mother would tell me the story of their clan."

_Clan..._

"Oh really, like what?"

She only shrugged, near gold eyes lighting up from the thought.

"You know, old folk stories...nothing that kids your age would know much about, I would know, I was a kid your age once. Where did you get it...I've never seen actual proof that it exists and from the looks of it...it's pretty old."

Sakura panicked for a moment and quickly her hands went up to clasp the small fan she sighed and closed her eyes. Tsunades hand fell onto the table.

"Must be very sentimental...where did you get it?"

She asked once again.

Sakura took a deep breath.

"I found it, today."


	12. Distance

_Sakura,_

_By now I'm sure you can tell this ain't Tachi, my penmanship looks like chicken shit. Some things happened but he's okay, we all just got a really rude awakening, it turns out some dumb little shit assassinated the Kaze._

_I'm sure he's dead skin and bones by now but he accomplished the mission of royally fucking us in the ass._

_Some things went down and it turns out we're not coming home afterwards. Ha, I know it's a fuckin inconvenience but that's how things turn out when you live day to day by what goes through the grapevine._

_Fuck the grapevine, fuck the military._

_Fuck, look, I'm sure your a big girl so I'm not going to sugar code it. He's doing pretty bad and I can't get him to a medic because an entire battery of medics died when the bomb went off at center camp. Tachi was in that area._

_I could've just left without this fucking Romeo but then I'd be a bitch for life so I looked for him, took a few attacks in the process but what can I say I can't afford to loose a b.f.f. He's like a brother...anyway he's kinda just dead weight on my shoulders at this point but he manages to crack a few jokes when he's not unconscious so I keep him around._

_I'm writing because I promised my boy that I'd write to his girl and he wouldn't sleep unless I did. Had to shut that mother fucker up some how. _

_Anyway he wanted you to know that he's probably not going to die yet and that he'll see you soon. I doubt that, it may be a while before we see any hope of getting out of this shit._

_Usually he's a better liar than this shit._

_Sucks skittles and balls that I had to bare all of this fucked up news to ya but I guess someone had to be the bad guy._

_Well I have to keep putting distance behind us, I can't run full speed ahead with someone on my back and we still have a way's to go until we're out of this fucking city._

_Heh, ya I'm fuckless enough to sit here and write a damn letter in enemy territory. You know to be the second best army Suna can't smell the scent of ass and determination very well, otherwise they would've killed us both by now._

_-_- The things I do for my fucking teammates. I don't know if this letter will ever get to you, the closest post office would get me shot the fuck up._

_I guess I'll have to dodge a few bullet's one more. This may just be the highlight of my night, if they can actually catch me._

_Just mail a response to the village on the outskirts of Suna, that's where our platoon usually sent mail from, we should reach there by tomorrow night and set up camp for awhile._

_-KILLERsharkSami_

_ANBU BO, Infantry Sniper division._

* * *

_Kisame,_

_I'm glad to hear something!_

_I know it's not the best news...but I'll take what I can get. I didn't know what to think...when he wasn't at the airport. Waited and waited almost all day but eventually my friend made me watch the news._

_I saw what happened and I think it's awful that this is the thing that's keeping us apart...this stupid war._

_I won't get all emotionally wounded about it because Itachi is strong and if he say's he's not going to die...I know he's strong enough to stall. I'm glad that you have his back, you two seem very close and I pray that you both make it out of there ok, the both of you._

_Your not the bad guy :}...you just had to be the bearer of bad news, no sweat I completely understand._

_Well I don't want to take up your time...just...please keep me posted because I don't know what I'd do if I lost someone else at this point._

_Especially him, I love him..._

_Keep him safe, I know I'm asking a lot of one person but I know you are only as strong as your friends and Itachi is strong because of you and your strong because of him._

_I know words don't mean much but I hope I could help :}._

_I hope to hear from you guys again, I'll even watch the news and try to help out anyway I can._

_Please, tell him...I will wait for him forever._

_Bye Kisame-kun!_

_Thank you for taking care of my fiance...lol well I guess you didn't know that the necklace he sent me is the first gift of a proposal in their clan, I don't think he knows that I know either.._

_Shhh...don't tell him._

_Google can be a very resourceful sometimes._

_Good luck and be safe ok and don't forget to write..._

_-Sakura_


	13. Mother knows best

_Where are you and you had better not say at your house because I'm in your house._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_How did you get in my house, I don't remember giving you a key or anything that allowed easy entry...I'm at my mom's, she made a big meal and needed a few lab rats...interested?_

_-Me_

_Hmm, if it wasn't your mom I might have been up for it but ever since the bake sale in college when she helped you with the cup cakes I'm still having bodily dysfunctions so I'll pass. Enjoy the last supper darling. :D_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_-_- Fuck you pig and stay out of my fridge and away from the chutu sticks and you still forgot to mention how you got in.._

_-Me_

_Ur the only person who still puts an extra key under the rug. Are U aiding a robbery or a murder because believe it or not ur neighborhood has a lot of em. Thank about that!...oh and I already stole a few chutu's, it makes up for u and Shikamaru eating all of the props on the table in my living room._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_0_0 why put candy on the table if they weren't meant to be eaten?_

_-Me_

_For decor of course! u people need to read up on the rules of sophistication and all things related because I swear u two...I'll leave it at that...e_e...u two..._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Smh. Please check my mail, I'm expecting something from my dad oh and while your there can you feed Hiko._

_-Me_

_Just so u know, I'm shivering because I knew I smelled that rat in here. He probably ran away...I'll try to feed him if I find him, ur pushing it with the mail but I suppose I could be a helping hand because I'll be expecting ur helping hand later._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Ino, thanks your a lifesaver...what would I do without you...don't answer that.._

_-Me_

_I'm trying not to. That's how much I luv U._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

"So...what's this I hear about you being in charge of the hospital?"

Sakura Haruno watched her mother place six more sashimi onto one of her antique flowery dishes and place the porcelain plate in front of her.

_Dish number eight, c'mon belly don't give in to the pleasure of getting that shit out of there...I know it's nice but it's nice not to see mom crying either because I just puked all over her pristine walls and flawless table._

Sakura picked up her chop sticks and poked uncertainly at it.

"What type of sashimi is this...dead for awhile?"

He mother took her seat on the opposite end of the table and regarded her daughter with a bewildered stare, green eyes slightly wider than usual.

"No, it's your favorite, Tako...remember you loved when I'd make it and bring it to school during lunch?"

_Hmmm, seems like thousands of years since I liked anything she's cooked...I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really did. I love you mom but cooking is not for everyone with boobs and ambition._

Sakura cracked a nervous half grin, lip twitching slightly as she locked in a piece in her chopsticks grasp and bought it to her mouth. Her mother regarded her with a encouraging stare, awaiting her review on the eighth dish.

Sakura closed her eyes and pushed the entire sashimi into her mouth, she chewed quickly hoping that she wouldn't taste anything fowl enough to cling to her breath.

She peaked out from one eye and with a free hand held up her thumb.

"Very delicious.."

_Gross._

"soft and delicate..."

_What the hell...sashimi isn't crunchy..._

"Outstanding.."

_It's remarkable I'm still alive._

Her mother swallowed up her appraisal like someone who desperately needed to know that their card hadn't declined.

Sakura tried to swallow down the crunchy, lumpy meat but for some reason it wouldn't go down without a fight. Her mother clapped her hands together once and then took a deep breath.

She smiled and twisted her lips with satisfaction.

"When Kurenai tastes this she's going to just die!"

_Probably...and everyone else at the wedding._

"Are you making the cake too?" Sakura asked around her endless chewing.

_I never remembered chewing anything this much...die you stupid, crunchy, gummy sashimi._

"Unfortunately they have someone else doing that."

_I guess I know the only thing I'll be eating at the wedding._

"That is pretty unfortunate but mom don't be stingy you made everything else. I'm sure by the end of the reception everyone will know your name..."

_Hahaha...I'm sorry mom...I'm not being fair, not telling you the truth but, this has been the happiest I've seen you since the divorce so if an entire wedding reception has to die, so be it.._

"I'm countin on it!...because I could really use the business for the restaurant."

Sakura nodded and braced herself for another go at the sashimi, her mother eyes kept darting down at the plate waiting for her to scarf up the rest adoringly.

"How's that going by the way?"

"No, no, no smooth talker we were discussing you first. As I recall, someone is in charge of the hospital and didn't even gloat not once about it and that's VERY unusual because I've always known my little akachan to gloat about every little thing. I remember when you were about one years old and you finally got the chocolate ice cream into the pot-"

"Mom..."

Sakura raised up a palm at her mothers face, causing the women to pause.

"..please don't refer to poop as chocolate ice cream, that should be a crime because chocolate ice cream is good...and poop is, well, it's poop...and I'd really appreciate it if you would stop telling me this story...I'm eating."

Ms. Haruno laughed breathlessly and then lulled back in her chair with a face of resolve.

"I'm sorry I always take a trip down memory lane when you visit me but I just can't seem to stop it...you've grown into a beautiful women. So independent and strong, smart...you know what you want in life and that just blows my mind."

_Oh brother here goes let the tear storm began..._

"Mom...seriously...I'm leaving if you cry."

She rolled her glossy eyes and blanked back the tears profusely before letting out a deep breath, she began to fan her hands in front of her eyes.

"Don't be a party pooper."

"Mom...what's with you and poop..."

"Don't take it in that context akachan Sakukins."

"Oh so I'm back to being Sakukins."

Ms. Haruno laughed loudly at her daughters facial expression at the old name and then gave a light pat to her stomach as if reliving some precious memory.

Sakura sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"So ready for dish nine?"

Sakura gripped her stomach and shook her head.

"I was never ready for dish eight.." she felt slightly nauseous, she placed a hand to her temple and closed her eyes.

Her mother chuckled and shook her head.

"You should be a comedic, you look just like your father over there."

_Hm, thanks for insulting me._

"You guys could never agree on anything, even now, he thinks I look like you."

Sakura looked in front of her to judge her mothers expression.

"Have you gone to visit him?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No but he calls every now and then."

"How is the old fart."

It was Sakura's turn to laugh at her mother's use of the term 'old fart' as if she were still a freshly plucked gem.

"He's dad."

Ms. Haruno smirked and leaned into the table grabbing her daughters hand almost cautiously. Sakura didn't pull away.

"No further explanations needed." She responded. "are you alright, you look fatal."

_It's the sashimi revolting to be free..._

"I'm fine...I just need to lay down somewhere.."

"Would you like to spend the night darlin, sleep with mama bear?"

Sakura stared at her mother and grinned. It had been awhile since they had one of their sleepovers, Sakura hadn't seen her mother in a few months and usually the only times she did come to see her was for advice.

This was one of those times.

"I dunno about all of the sleeping with mama bear stuff but..Would that be a problem to sleep here, I mean you may be expecting company or something."

Her mother waved away her words.

"Baby girl, it is eight at night and there is no one coming into mother's nest but her babbies and I only have one so...get your butt up and I'll take care of this alright."

Sakura couldn't help but smiling at her mothers warm words and her comforting voice. She had forgotten how nice it felt to feel like a child again, to be shielded from pain, fear and worry.

It was very easy to feel like a kid sometimes, be careless and happy without having to look over your shoulder.

Sakura stood to her feet with a yawn and struggled to get her jacket off. Her stomach felt like it had grown since she had arrived there.

Her mother slanked a arm around her hips and kissed her cheek. She patted her daughters backside and apprehended the dishes.

"We'll talk before you go to work tomorrow, night baby."

"Nigh." Sakura yawned and balled up her sweater jacket as she walked towards the staircase and stumbled up the dark stair well towards her old bedroom.

The door had already been open, the lights were off.

She could make out a few things but everything was otherwise very unfamiliar. Abandoning hanging up her jacket she tossed it on the dresser and slipped into her twin bed. Yawning into the sheets and then closing her eyes.

Sleep settled in remorselessly and seeped deep into her eye lids.

Suddenly her phone vibrated.

_Text message._

She dug into the back pocket of her skinny jeans and pulled out her cellphone. She pressed a single button and the light exploded, casting the room in it's brightness and torturing her eyes. She winced and opened the mail.

_Congrats, your father sent you a box full of letters...I'm going home now, oh and I left the terrorist patient chart right on your bed since you'll be officially meeting him tomorrow. Scared yet? I mean I'd be freaking out, what if that mad man wakes up while your working on him.._

_-Maddam Piggy_

_Thanks for reminding me and I'd really hate to think about that...letters? who are they from?_

_-Me_

_Sakura, I've got one foot out the door and you know if I stay in this place for too long turrets cat will make a dash for it, you'll see it when you get home. Maybe your dad wrote you a box full of letters and got too busy to send them out._

_-Maddam Piggy_

_Your probably right. Gnight Ino, get out of my house and stay out of my house._

_-Me_

_G'night Sak, say hello to mommy dearest for me and don't worry I have enough chutus to never visit again. :p_

_-Maddam Piggy_

That night Sakura twitched, tossed and turned fitfully in her sleep. When she awoke in the middle of the night she wasn't entirely sure if it were a bad dream or a bad stomach ache...but she couldn't coax herself back to sleep.

Absentmindedly she reached for the charm around her neck and once she found it she sighed.

_I really wasn't lying to Tsunade, I did just find it...I've been looking for it but that day after looking through that closet in the bathroom, I found it. I was beginning to think that I lost it forever...like him. _

She stood to her feet and walked out of the room. She wandered down the hall on soundless toes until she got to where her parent's room used to be.

She knocked on the door and then peeked in. Her mother's head lifted from her white lilly pad pillow slowly in the king sized bed.

She stared at Sakura for a moment without recognition and then jerked her covers back revealing her black silky long gown.

"C'mon in here it's nice, warm and safe...I don't bite." She said snapping her teeth together. Sakura rolled her eyes but stepped into the dark room.

"It's comments like that, that make me wonder..." She muttered.

She crawled into the bed and nuzzled under her mothers chin.

_This is really strange...even for me the porn star._

Her mother hugged her close and breathed into her hair.

"Bad dream?"

Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know what it was...but it's messing with my sleep."

"Hmm." her mother commented.

All was silent. Sakura stared at her mothers neck and sighed.

"Something's bothering you...I can feel it, what's going on with you akachan?"

Sakura sighed hard.

_May as well get it out._

"It's work."

"I've heard only good things from your patients."

"It's not that mom, just recently I've been asked to care for a special patient and a lot of things rest with my success in this operation but...my career is on the line before it's even began and it's too much to think about on top of everything else going on my head I just think I'm going to murder this guy and I can't stand the thought of killing someone, no matter how much they deserve it."

"Hmm, that's tough but it's okay to be nervous, your father used to be very nervous to work on people as well...he didn't like the sight of blood it made him queasy but somehow he always managed to stun me by getting the job done."

Sakura listened to how she spoke fondly of her father, like they were still married and slept in the same bed. Sakura nodded.

"...but I'm not dad, I make mistakes and I make them notoriously..."

_Like that home video you don't know about yet...thank goodness my mother was didn't know how to work a computer.._

"Your human and surely if you did, which you won't, loose this patient...it won't be the end of the world, it will only be a mistake that you will have gained knowledge from. Don't look at mistakes as a tragedy look of them as wisdom, knowledge gained and you'll be alright."

Oddly the words were comforting enough but Sakura was still doubtful.

"Ok."

"Have you got a date for the wedding Friday?"

Sakura scoffed.

"No."

"Oh, why not?"

"Whoever said that you needed to have a date at a wedding?"

"Nobody but I can't imagine any young women coming alone, especially when your one of the bridesmaids."

"Well I can guess you'll have to imagine it because I don't have a date."

"Hmm, well you've better get one or the wedding planner will just pair you up with some random groomsman and you don't play well with randoms."

"True."

"So we're going to have a date come Thursday's rehearsal?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She grumbled.

Her mother chuckled.

"That ah girl."


	14. Day of Solitude

_What...the...hell is up with the audience..._

Sakura Haruno stood, frozen, on the curb across the street from the hospital. She wasn't the only one, a few pedestrians were located on the curb as well like the survivors of lost they all shared a mutual look of bewilderment.

Sakura realized the audience in front of the hospital weren't a happy bunch.

Gaudy picket signs were ablaze with hatred and a few of them were shouting some pretty graphic ways of murder.

"The shit must've hit the fan." She muttered and then began to cross the street, it had been the easiest street crossing she had done since she worked at the hospital.

This had nothing to do with all of the cars at a stand still in the streets, people stepping out to gawk at the action or pairing up with the people on the confused side of the street to make small talk.

_All they need is a few pitchforks and it'll really be a riot...at least that would get my mind off the miracle I'm expected to deliver._

The pink haired women sighed and fought through the tide of angry people chanting about the big bad terrorist in the hospital.

"WHY ARE WE TREATING HIM, JUSTICE WILL ONLY BE SERVED WHEN THE BLOOD FREEZES OVER IN HIS VEINS!"

"LET THAT SON OF A BITCH ROT IN HELL!"

"THIS IS AN OUTRAG-"

"HOW DARE THE HOKAGE LET THAT MONSTER INTO OUR BELOVED CIT-"

_I'd hate to shove but excuse me doesn't work when there is an angry riot bitchin at full speed._

Sakura shoved her way past most people and had to walk around others that didn't seem to feel her persistent nudge.

_Man this anger is dense...Tsunade wasn't lying about the press and all of the attention...this is like half the damn town, I can't really blame them for the show._

Once she finally got into the clatter of people on the top step she spotted the authorities clad in navy blue and armed with nightsticks, well, most of them looked like ordinary leaf police but others wore a sandy color uniform.

_Must be Suna Police..._

They were forming a chain around the mob, standing still like a human wall of iron statues, eyes cast above the heads below them.

Sakura began to duck under the arm of one of the police, quickly he broke the chain and pointed a nightstick at her menacingly.

"I don't think so Miss!"

Sakura flinched and leaned back slightly, she noticed he was one who wore the Suna emblem and sandy colors. There were purple marks under his cheek and a hard mark to his features.

"Excuse me?" she hissed curtly, frown harsher than words she could ever hope to form.

The police man stood his ground, lip stern, face cold.

"I'm only doing my job." he informed her.

"That's friggan fantastic, so how about you move out of my way and let me get to mine..." without much thought or caution for the law she slapped the stick out of her face and the police officer jabbed it at her shoulder as if impulse.

He almost looked scared.

Sakura scoffed to herself.

_Do I look that threatening this morning?...well, I did skip out on breakfast...so maybe.._

"Hey lad-!"

Sakura grabbed the stick and yanked him towards her, close enough for him to look into her eyes, she stared him dead in the face.

"I work here fucko!"

The officer cheeks puffed out and he got a firm hold on his stick, breath hard.

"Terrorist!"

He shouted and before Sakura could even be confused the guard beside him gripped her shoulder.

_I'm a Terrorist now...seriously..._

"She's attacking..."

"What, no, I work here!" Sakura began.

"Enough!"

Both the officers and Sakura jerked away from one another and stared towards the front of the building where Tsunade stood, arms crossed, green robe windblown.

"Tsunade..."

Sakura jerked her head towards the police officers and then back up the steps.

"Would you tell these nimrods I work here!"

The blond women only sighed and then closed her eyes.

"Come inside, your just in time for the meeting..." then she looked towards the policeman. "...officers.." she said dismissively waving a hand towards them to let Sakura through.

Reluctantly they both stepped aside. Sakura, deterred, took a deep breath of fresh air and tried to ignore all of the screams behind her that needed to be heard. People viciously shouting out threat's to bomb the hospital or sneak in and kill the patient.

_This is going to be the longest day of my life..._

The board room actually looked like a board room instead of a kindergarten teachers lounge filled with childhood scribbles and vender machines.

There were tables placed together to form one very long rectangle and there were chairs, some filled with a body, some void.

Nurses and doctors loitered in the room, cups of coffee and worried glances and voices. Sakura slipped in amongst the worry and tried to stifle that feeling that posed a threat to strangle her if she allowed it.

She took another deep breath, since she couldn't get enough air through her nose and looked around for Ino.

Ino was no where in sight and because of that she realized it would be the most miserable and longest day of her life.

_No comedic relief...pleeeh, I wonder what's going on with her, She should've been here today. Everyone is here._

"The bomb has landed and everyone has gone absolutely mad, code red."

A voice muttered behind her. Sakura only smirked.

"Ten, why do I have a feeling today is going to be verrrrrrrry hectic?"

The women beside her only shrugged and yawned.

"Hectic is the least of our problems, did you see that crowd out there..." she scoffed. "...don't those people have jobs."

Sakura snorted and Tenten nudged a Tichigaku's cup in her direction.

"Hazelnut?" Tenten asked chipperly, her tongue stuck out slightly to lick the foam from her Frappuccino.

"Lovely, how'd you know?" Sakura crooned in awe blowing over the top of her coffee slowly.

"Ino, I went to visit her earlier...she isn't feeling too well."

Sakura chuckled.

"That's no surprise she O.D'd on chutu's."

"Eww..chutu's...I will never understand that girls appetite."

"You and me both." Sakura uttered taking a quick sip, not giving the heat enough time to char her tongue even though she craved the taste of caffeine in her tired little life.

"What's with the Suna police being here, are our cops not enough?"

"I don't know but they're pretty rude as fuck.."

"I don't think they have a choice Sakura, have you seen the people out there...they've lost their minds."

"What do you expect!" a soft voice blurted out behind them and both women looked over their shoulders to find Karin standing there, worried expression tens fold deeper than anyone else in the room. "These terrorist have killed so many of their loved ones, now that they actually have one of them here...there's no telling what can happen. It's like we're in an action pack movie...I'm awaiting the romance!"

Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Nothings going to happen, the guards out front are doing their job well enough."

"Too well." Sakura shook her head just as someone began to clap vitally.

"Everyone can I have you attention. Nurses and doctors...staff, please take your seats we have a boat load of information to put out and not a lot of time to lollygag along the subject!"

The voice was none other than a certain silver haired man. Sakura raised a brow.

_The guy from the accident...what is he doing here.._

"Who's that guy?"

"He's chief of police, Hatake Kakashi...I can't believe you didn't know that." Karin eyes Sakura with a confused look as if it were a crime not to know the Chief of police. Sakura ignores her and walks towards the table to find a decent seat.

Hatake Kakashi is wearing a similar uniform as most of the police outside, only there is a veil of secrecy over his mouth and a golden badge pinned to his black bullet proof vest.

木ノ葉隠れの里(Konohagakure)警察(police) was written in white on the center of the vest.

He stood tall, his presence very commanding in front of everyone in the conference room. He was like a studious professor in front of a class of college students.

His eyes wandered around and he pasted around awaiting everyone to take their seats and give him their attention. There was a rolled up piece of parchment in his grasp that he swung back and fourth, hitting his palm with it a few times before rolling it up even tighter and coming to a stand still.

Everyone got silent pretty quickly, it was no surprise that everyone was curious to know exactly why the Sunagakure police were in the city.

Some random nurse raised her hand and Kakashi turned his head in her direction.

"I'm sorry mame but before there can be questions I must put out some information, perhaps your question may pertain to this bit of information...so I'm going to have to ask you to hold your question until after the briefing. My apologies."

His voice was so debonair and gentle that no one questioned a word of his.

Tenten elbowed Sakura.

"Rawwwr he's fucking sexy.." she whispered, a tantalizing grin touched her lips.

Sakura couldn't disagree so she only nodded and stared just as admiringly as she knew Tenten had been behind her.

He really was sexy and she had so rarely used the word sexy on any man, well she had never used any words like sexy or hot on men. Only handsome...or captivating..maybe even beautiful but there was something about the chief that seemed extremely wild and sexy.

Sexy just seemed to fit him well because she had always thought of something being sexy as exotic.

After addressing the nurse, he cleared his throat and stared at no one in particular.

"As I'm sure, you are all probably wondering what the devil is going on..."

There were a few people agreeing out loud during his pause and he chuckled softly.

"...well, we both have that in common...as I was the first to meet a Suna policeman in my bathroom this morning." he teased and everyone seemed to get a laugh out of that, Tenten laughed louder than most the room and caught the chiefs eyes.

He only made a deep noise that seemed like the start of a laugh and then sighed.

"All jokes aside, they're here to insure that the Terrorist doesn't escape or that none of his comrades attempts a rescue...thus an attack on Konohagkure. I'm sure your all questioning this act of security..." he took a deep breath and swallowed.

"...why did the Hokage agree to this settlement, don't we have enough security?" he asked, the inflection of his voice different from before as he rolled the parchment tighter.

"Well." he began in his normal voice. "I'm no Hokage but even I know there is never enough security where Terrorist are involved, especially when the terrorist know both cities in and out. These men, they're not a group of foolish men who are going around on their tip toes. They're discreet and swift because they were once citizens of both cities. I have no damn idea what would posses them to turn their backs on their home but I know that we shouldn't let that cloud our judgement. These rouges, they're a serious threat and they're being handled as such, understand?"

A chorus of females were the only response of agreement. Once again Tenten's overpowering everyone's vocals. Sakura elbowed her and she chuckled.

"On another note, please...and I repeat, please don't be caught trying to put the patient out of his misery. You will be imprisoned and while that kill would have been worth it in that moment...time behind bars will probably change your mind drastically. Trust me, the time will come when justice is served but Hokage wants him to be breathing during the trial, so I ask you please put your emotions aside and try to refrain from any actions that you may regret in the future...Hmmmmm.."

He furrowed a silver brow and then snapped his fingers.

"Just bare with the system and everyone will be fine and out of my office...as for the people out side, it'll die down soon enough but I'm certain you all know things are going to be quite crazy around here. I'm sorry for that, if it effects the way you do your job please, by all means come down town and visit me...I hear I'm good with crazy." he joked again and once again the females laughed.

One of the males cleared his throat and Kakashi slapped the parchment against his palm a few more times.

"Any questions?"

All of the females raised their hands.

Sakura sighed.

Kakashi, seeming very oblivious to his popularity with the women pointed at a fat nurse who had been waving a hand in the air anxiously .

"Hm?"

"Where exactly downtown is the police located?"

The females behind her began to chatter in favor of her question.

Kakashi laughed and then closed his eyes.

"Just follow the chalk on the street once you get downtown...or you can always do something bad and I can personally escort you to my office."

Someone gasped with excitement and Tsunade stepped in rolling her eyes.

"No more questions, we're behind schedule and Mr. Hatake and I have a press conference to attend, so please...treat this as a normal day and Dr. Haruno...the guards with escort you to the seventh floor."

_Wait...already...Seventh floor...I never even knew we had a seventh floor._

"Meeting adjourned boys and girls." Kakashi muttered following Tsunade's tail of robe out of the room.

"Are you going to just sit in the bathroom the entire day, you know, Tsunade's going to have to check on you some time...and there are guards in the women's bathroom.."

Sakura sat on the toilet in the handicap stall and sighed hard, she looked down and realized that her fingers were jiggling frantically and her sight seemed to disorient their form slightly.

_What the hell is wrong with me..._

Her body suffered from the same symptoms and all she could do is try to calm herself down but rocking back and fourth on the pot wasn't helping her.

"Sakura, don't make me sneak into the stall with you...you can't hide out in there forever."

"I know." She muttered.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know...run away."

Tenten laughed.

"You're not that dumb."

"Try me." Sakura whispered.

"What's your deal, didn't you always want a hands on assignment where you were alone."

"Well duh but this is different, completely different."

"Please specify how."

Sakura took two deep breaths and observed her fingers, they were still trembling uncontrollably.

"For one...he's a murderer, two...he's a murderer who can kill me if he wakes up...three...if I kill him I'd go down in history as the doctor who murdered someone and made a porno in the same year."

"At least you'd go down in history."

Sakura wailed and squeezed her knee's as she leaned over to breath harder.

"I thought I could do this but...I-I can't, I-"

"Shut that shit up, there is no time to say you can't do it, you haven't even tried...your slate is completely clean. Sakura, you've preformed a dozen surgeries...heart related surgeries. If you were going to make a mistake you would have already done that by now...and anyways he's going to die regardless...think of it like that."

Sakura laughed.

"That's true."

"It is...and you know what else is true?"

"What?"

"If you don't get your ass out of that stall and into your scrubs I'm going to tattle on you, c'mon, I believe in you and after all of this crazy business you and I are going to go to a spa."

"...promise?"

"Promise...just, think of him as someone else...think of him as a soldier you want to see alive, like all you want to do is get him back to perfect health to his family. It's always easier if the person going under the knife is someone you want to have a happy ending, catch my drift?"

"Yeah..."

Sakura whispered shakily, leading her paranoid fingers to the charm around her neck, she rubbed her thumb over it a few times and then closed her eyes. She thought about she and her mothers conversation and all of the faces she had witnessed after surgery on their beloved ones.

She thought about Itachi, she wondered if he had really been well off or if Kisame was just lying for her sake. She knew that if she were their she would have done everything in her power to heal him, to mend the scars from those years of war to make him realize that she would never leave him alone.

She sighed shakily and then stood to her feet.

"I'm coming.."

"Good because knowing these guards are in here is not helping me pee.."

_Now I see why they call it the seventh floor...it's completely empty and lifeless. _

The guards led Sakura to a room at the very end of the hall. The lights were on and buzzing, the blinds were drawn and even through there was light there, there was something dark and scary about this room as if thousands of souls were still trapped in there.

Sakura cleared her thoughts and stepped into the room to spot her patient laying there like the smallest person in the universe.

He was on his back and she couldn't distinguish much of anything because his entire body, including his face was layered in gauze, bound tight like fresh leather.

She stared at the invalid human being and began to roam around his bedside towards where his charts and her utensils lay.

The guards followed behind her silently, on her heels pointing their weapons at the motionless human being.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

_This is sorta ridiculous..._

Once she reached the table that displayed the information she skimmed through it and through a bunch of charts explaining the procedure and then she sighed.

_This is going to be such a damn bother to do by myself.._

She let out a lonely sigh and then yanked out her breast cancer awareness pen from a pocket in her scrubs. She began to write down a few mental notes of the patients state and then mark down the readings on the monitor near his bed.

She stared over him briefly wondering how the human being beneath the gauze looked.

_Probably old as hell and evil...isn't that how all villains look._

The guards kept their distance, weapons trained on the skull of the prisoner. Sakura peeked over his head to see that his wrist was bound by a set of hand cuffs and they were connected to the bed, secured and painful from the looks of it.

_Thank god for policemen...I feel safe already._

"Hey partner!"

Sakura flinched, nearly jumping out of her skin in fright but then looked up savagely towards the door to find Karin posing in the door way.

"What the hell...Karin...what are you doing here?"

Karin waltzed in and began to fix up her scrubs.

"Tsunade realized she sent you in without a nurse so, it was a last minute thing but she tagged me in, isn't that just perfect?"

_PERFECT!...I'd rather be murdered.._

"Sure." Sakura muttered.

"Exactly what I was thinking, so I'll just get a few readings from him and then we can began if your ok with starting now."

Sakura fought her face to form a grin and then nodded.

"Let's just do this."

Although she hated the idea of working with Karin, she hated the bother of working alone even more. Now that she had a guinea pig, getting this thing over with will be easier.

Karin smiled.

"I like the sound of that...so, hey I know this is un-work related but did you know that there was a guy downstairs asking about you?" and then Kairin's eyes brightened.

"OH YA! It was your boyfriend...from the video, he's downstairs talking to Tsunade right now, that's so supportive, your very lucky...seems like he's fallen hard."

"H-he's what!"

"Well, shall we began Dr. Haruno...I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to talk to him after the surgery is over."


	15. Torn Pages

_Dear Itachi and Kisame,_

_I haven't heard from you two for awhile(two months), so I can't really assume the worst now can I?_

_Heh, I know your both alright...it's getting letters that I miss. lol it's like the first penpal thing all over again but I know there's a big difference._

_Kisame I know your handwriting looked like, chicken shit, as you called it but I can completely relate to being one of those people who have horrible penmanship so..don't feel bad, it's easy to read if I squint.}_

_Well, I just want Itachi to know that...I'm still waiting, I will always wait for him because I just can't let go of everything we've shared...it's strong enough to survive this and when you get home, I'll be strong enough to say yes...to anything you may or may not have to ask me._

_Would you like that?...pshh, of course you would._

_So...do me a favor and save me from the wait, hero._

_-Sakura_

_Dear Itachi,_

_I'll be graduating college and being shipped straight to medic school. My mom thinks all of the hype is really getting to my head but she couldn't be father from the truth._

_The truth is, I'm terrified...that I'll sleep my way through medic school like I did through college. _

_I frankly don't know how I actually made it out of there because for a moment I really didn't think that I'd be walking across the stage._

_Maybe it's in my future to fuck up someone's life with the knowledge I never received._

_Ha, I don't know...but maybe I shouldn't sell myself short._

_Sure I didn't study much but during that final exam all of that stuff, I somehow just knew the answers...like it was remedial._

_I'll just call it luck._

_So, tomorrow my friends have dragged me into one of their illegal moments._

_Thanks to Ino and Kiba for senior prank day everyone wants to set off some fireworks on top of the great faces. At first it was supposed to just be a group thing but now the entire campus knows about it and everyone is in on it._

_Ridiculous right?_

_I'm not going, I just can't think about having fun when you're somewhere far from home...wandering in the woods and running for your life._

_I know what you'd say if you were writing me._

_haha._

_You'd probably say that you were a badass and that you never felt better running through the woods...you'd probably say something all gushy like...you weren't running for your life, you were running for ours._

_Just smile...because you know I'm right.._

_Well, I have to be at dinner with my dad in a minute. He's finally decided to visit me since he knows that I'm actually going to make it into Medic School._

_I know the story would be entirely different if I hadn't passed, he'd probably change his number and everything._

_Please write back..._

_-Sakura_

* * *

_Dear Itachi,_

_Kisame must think I'm a bitch for leaving him hanging._

_I'm sorry._

_Hey I have good news. It's summer and I hear that due to it being a Sunagakure holiday of the red sand that the city will celebrate a day of peace...so maybe that should give you two some time to rest for a little while._

_Itachi, please rest...Kisame don't take no for an answer if he tries to make you go longer._

_I just...really hope you both are ok._

_I refuse to get unhinged about you both neglecting letters but I figured that your either no where near a place to mail off letters or your resting._

_I hope your resting well._

_Today in Konoha there is no holiday, the city is like it always is. People shopping, working...going on about their day as if there isn't even a war._

_It's like they've forgotten about everyone over there or maybe they have so much faith that they can stand to not write or wait by the phone. _

_I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was...because I can do neither of those things._

_I keep thinking that I'll go to daddies mail box and see something there from you saying that you'll see me in an hour or get one of those phone calls..._

_you know.._

_when there is so much static in the background but your voice is louder than my heart._

_=/...please, be ok and please, write me back...because I feel like I'm losing you and no matter how hard I try to hang on...no matter how many letters I read, none of them are more important than one that says that you are okay...ok._

_-Sakura_

* * *

_Dear Itachi,_

_I never did tell you about my dream date...I remember you asked me but I just avoided it because I was high off my ass from teasing you about my mugshot._

_That seems like awhile ago, I should have just given you a stupid picture..._

_Well, when my dad wasn't so ass deep into his work...he used to take me camping a lot. I used to look forward to it every weekend with him._

_I bragged about it so much in school and I could never stop thinking about where we would go next._

_My dad...he was so smart and quirky about nature._

_He knew the animals like the back of his hand, he taught me facts and allowed me to explore along side him and then when it was time to sleep, he taught me about the stars._

_I always thought it was beautiful, to lay beneath the nights blanket of stars and darkness...I mean complete darkness._

_Darkness so deep that even the luminous light from the stars couldn't shine through._

_My dad said a persons true colors shine through when you can't see them, when they're completely in the dark._

_I never understood him back than, hell, I don't know if I do now._

_I have to get going now, I have a job and all of that jazz.)_

_I'm employed at seven eleven, not to worry it's only for the summer...I don't plan to stick around here for very long._

_-Sakura_

* * *

_Dear Itachi,_

_Did you know that the military is excepting women now and they have my job. The stardard for a medic is really high but I would expect nothing less I mean...medics are supposed to fix up everyone so I can't be in Suna breaking already broken soldiers. _

_So I took a ride down town and realized that I don't have to sit around waiting for you...I can go to Suna and I can find you, we can find each other._

_Sounds like a good plan does it?_

_There is nothing in this city for me, I just, I hate being a sitting duck when there is an opportunity right here for me...it's like a sign Itachi, wouldn't you agree._

_I know it's going to be hard, basic training and all of the classes I'll go through before actually getting deployed but who knows maybe we'll skip all that and just be sent to Suna._

_The war seems pretty desperate, I mean, we've been trying to get women into combat for how long and suddenly just now it's allowed._

_You do the math -_-._

_Well my parents don't know what I'm doing and frankly I don't give a hoot because when do my parents ever know what I'm doing._

_All mom does is risk it all for that stupid restaurant of her's and all dad does is work. If I didn't have to eat he would never realize that I actually live with him...sometimes he doesn't even ask me if I'm hungry, so I've been cooking, for us both...or should I say myself. He never comes down for dinner._

_I like cooking, it gives me plenty of things to think about other than what I usually think about. It's a real stress reliever._

_I wish I had a cat, animals are very distracting from reality sometimes._

_Wish me luck on my test because if I actually pass...do you know how happy I'd be, I'd be a medic and I'd be closer to you, to help._

_All I want to do is help._

_Well, I'll be writing back to you after everything is said and done._

_Be careful, be safe and I love you...and yes, I know you love me :p. _

_Don't you?_

_-Sakura_

* * *

_Dear Itachi,_

_They, they won't let me go._

_They don't even want me but they won't let me go save someone who does..._

_Well, apparently you have to be over the age of nineteen to decided if your giving your life away to the military or not. It's not fair, who are they to decide any thing._

_I passed my test...I could've had any job that I wanted but once they saw my I.D they made a call to my father._

_He says that I'm going to Medic School because I'm not going to throw away my life chasing a perfect stranger who could be lying to me._

_I fucking hate that man._

_Now he wants to pay attention to what I do, he didn't even care before but now he watches my every move...h-he won't let me do anything..._

_From the time I get out of school to the time that I go to sleep I'm locked in my room and told to study._

_The fucking house is the worse._

_It's worse than being deaf if not the same._

_I feel like I'm drowning in the quiet and there is no way to escape because even when I think to myself to talk to myself the quiet is so much louder._

_I can't take this...so tonight I'm leaving my father. I'll go live with my mother again._

_She wasn't any better than him but at least she didn't spend her entire life, miserable behind some office desk._

_I just wish my fucking birthday hurries up...that way, I can join the military and be one step closer to finding you._

_-Sakura_


	16. Cut through My Skin

Sakura Haruno sat on the edge of her twin bed and sulked in the daylight that broke through her periwinkle curtains which were ajar to her dismay.

She yawned languidly, stretching her spine and loosening up the kink of sinews that had grown stiff overnight.

_Man that feels good..._

It had been a day since she and Karin had successfully undergone a surgery to revive the heart of a Rogue Nin in wartime and it seemed like an eternity since she had a good nights rest.

Hiko plopped down weightlessly at her side, tail wafting in the air..a purr rumbled in his chest as he rested his small face on the bare skin of her lap and let out the tiniest yawn of his own.

Sakura placed a hand on his head and gently began to caress the tiny kitten.

"I was so scared that I'd fuck it up Hiko..."

That cat only nuzzled against her thigh, soft feathery ears tickling her flesh. Nails prickling the comforter as he inched closer, intent on the warmth of his master.

Sakura picked up the lithe kitten and hugged him, kissing the space between his ears and sighing.

"...you don't know how happy I am...the hard parts over...the only thing left is the awakening and the sooner he get's up the sooner the hospital can stop being under surveillance...and the sooner I can stop being a celebrity.."

Sakura rolled her eyes and realized how much media this whole ordeal bought her.

_Fancy samples of lube, prototype lingerie, the bouquet of roses and penis candies are starting to get on my nerves now. At first it was overwhelming but expected but now it's just a eye sore, every morning I walk in and see something at the front desk from me. Who the hell is this J. J-rya and why is stalking me...I'm not interested in doing another porno, I wasn't even interested in the first cut..._

Sakura huffed with aggravation and rose to her feet, still cuddling Hiko. Hiko was such a baby, he loved to be adored and buried in Sakura's twins. It made him sleepy.

Sakura made it into the kitchen and then heard her phone rang, realizing that it was stashed in her room on her nightstand she placed down Hiko and darted off to the call.

_Please be you...please.._

She dove onto the bed and snatched up the phone from the stand. The caller I.D refused to give away the identity of the number and carelessly she pressed the green icon for the call to go through.

"Hello...?"

She asked and when there was no answer she spoke again.

"Is anyone there?"

Abruptly, the phone went dull and the dial tone began to drone in her ear.

She shrugged it off.

_Must've had the wrong number. _

She dropped her arms heavily by her side, like a broken figure and stared at the ceiling. Fingers clutching tightly at her phone.

_Why do I care who's going to the wedding with me...it's just a wedding and if he doesn't call...then, he just doesn't call..and besides he has a lot on his plate. The city is crazy these day's he doesn't have time to press pause and attend some random wedding he wasn't even invited to. He wouldn't know a damn person..._

_I'm so selfish.._

She let out a long sigh just as her phone began to rang once more, vibrating incessantly in the palm of her hand. Slowly, she turned her face to stare down at her hand.

**Incoming Call...**

**H. Kakashi**

_He...he's calling me...so I wouldn't be dateless after all. Chi-HA, you go girl...ok, ok, hold that thought...he could be calling for any reason...one being to cancel._

She shook her head.

_Please don't cancel on me, I worked up enough energy to ask you out..._

After gathering enough air to say hello she clicked on the green button and then forgot the words she had practiced in her mind.

The voice on the other end laughed.

"Ms. Haruno?"

Sakura swallowed hard listening to his dark voice and then nodded as if he could see her. She slapped a palm against her forehead and then sighed.

"Yes, it's me...and Kakashi please just call me Sakura, I'm not my mother yet..."

He chuckled.

"My apologies, my up bringing is a hard habit to break...anyway I'm calling about the wedding today. I was thinking that I'd come and pick you up around ten?"

He cleared his throat and she could hear what sounded like ice colliding against a glass, just before he sipped something up and then let out a deep breath.

"Ten?" She echoed, breath short, she twisted around on the bed to stare at the luminous pink clock on her nightstand.

_Ten!...That's in two hours...I'm not even dressed, I didn't even wrap my last minute gift...time sure does get away.._

"Ten sounds..."

_Like I'll just be getting out of the shower. _

"...perfect, I'll see you then?"

"Of course, I may be there a bit earlier...I'm eager to see you."

Flustered, the pink haired women blinked profusely and tried not to bite her lip too hard thinking about the arm that she would be hanging off all afternoon.

Every women in town was going to envy her and plot her demise.

She sighed.

_I'm a horrible women...Tenten wanted him but he seemed interested in me...and he took me out for coffee and never even mentioned her. Am I wrong for inviting him to the wedding...what if Tenten saw us and got angry._

_I mean...I'm not interested in him or anything but I'm not going to lie and say that I don't think he's sexy, he is...but my hearts in going in another direction...and this one has nothing to do with looks._

Abruptly, she pinched herself, a prickle of jagged pain gripped the inside of her wrist and she cringed.

_It's in the past...it's in the past, this wedding, the success of my medic skills...that's the future, that's the only thing that matters now and no amount of letters in a shoe box that my dad kept from me will change that because everything happens for a reason...and maybe I should listen to everything and stop holding on to the past._

_Because let's face it...I'll be miserable for the rest of my life if I dwell on what could have been...because it never was and it will never be..._

_You hear that...it never will be..._

"Are you there?"

"Um..ya, I am..I'm sorry I was just a bit distracted...so ya I'll see you and I hope I don't disappoint."

"You won't...a women as beautiful as you, I can expect nothing less than a breathtaking sight and I do hope I'm not being too forward...speaking to you this strongly."

"No." Sakura chuckled thinking it was silly that he thought he was being offensive. Hearing these compliments...

_Feels like food to my ears...do continue bad cop...I'm starving.._

"...it's sweet."

"Sweet as it may sound, I mean all of it." He paused and then she could hear the sound of water from a faucet.

"I'm going to hop in the shower, I'll text you when I'm on my way."

"Kay...and Kakashi, thank you for coming on such short notice, I would have been shit out of luck if it weren't you...men and I rarely make much of a connection these days."

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. "I suppose it's their own lost if they're not trying hard enough to make it work, very few men have time to appreciate a fine women but I have all the time in the world...to do their jobs for them..."

Sakura wasn't sure how to respond to that so she just let out a shaky sigh and realized that there was something stirring in her for Kakashi that she didn't like, it wouldn't be a bad thing if it were interest...but it wasn't...it was a hunger for attention, attention that she hadn't felt in years. The feeling made her fingertips tingle.

He chuckled.

"Well, taking you out, it's my pleasure, how could I say no to those beautiful sea green eyes...well, I'll text you when I'm in route."

"Kay, bye."

Sakura clicked the red button to end the conversation and then raised her arms to the ceiling with the tiniest grin.

_This is a huge improvement...maybe, just maybe I could not feel bad about dating someone else...maybe I can let go for good..but..there's still one thing I don't have the answer to..._

"WHAT ON EARTH AM I GOING TO WEAR!"

_Mew!_

_"_Hiko, I wish I were a cat..."

* * *

The venue of the wedding was very rustic but even that held it's own beauty. The ceremony was pretty traditional and the crowd was comprised of very close family members and a few friends.

It was nothing big or extravagant and Sakura supposed that's how you knew that Asuma and Kurenai's love was real. They didn't care about the material side of marriage, only the fact that the both of them were together in that moment.

Sitting between her mother and Kakashi she tried to hold herself together and not get wounded during the exchanging of vows but all she could think about was a time when she dreamed of herself marrying another.

It was around the time when she realized that he was proposing to her.

She had looked up the necklace and it's origin and realized that it was the first gift of a proposal. At first she just thought that things were moving a little too fast and that maybe she was looking into the gift too much.

She thought that he was only trying to compensate for his not being with her but his intentions were pure...he had even talked about marriage a couple of time. Not really suggesting that his future wife could be her but just mentioning his dreams of a big family and building a home like his parents had.

He claimed he was ready to settle down and that he had seen as much as he could ask for. He said he was tired...tired of being alone and he wanted to share his world with someone else. Sakura remembered reading the letter and thinking it was the sweetest thing any man could ever say.

He was so young, they were both very young and she knew it would be asking a lot to ask a man as handsome as Itachi to give up the nature of the beast and marry to one girl.

It didn't even seem plausible and yet he was trying to make it happen...he was trying to spend the rest of his life with her.

That was enough to break her. She stood to her feet in the middle of their vows and walked off.

"Bathroom." She uttered, trying to catch her breath but it wasn't easy and the more she thought of that box of letters, the more she longed to go home and tear the shoe box apart and gulped down every promise she would probably read.

She found the door of the church and stumbled into something that she wasn't too horrified to see.

He was sitting on the pale rail that led to the church wearing a dark brown leather jacket and some jeans, a white shirt peeked out from beneath the jacket.

He was holding a flask to his lips but pause once he spotted the pink haired women.

Sakura dabbed at the moistness of her eyes and then sucked in a shaky breath, her heart felt strained and there was a thump too big to swallow in her gullet.

She frowned, staring at Sasuke trying to swallow down this feeling of grief because she didn't want him to see this. She didn't want to cry in front of him, it was weak but she couldn't keep it inside.

She couldn't cope with this awful feeling of a great loss, she couldn't push her feelings back this time because so much of her was torn.

She pressed her fist into her mouth and let loose an agonizing cry so harsh that she barely had enough breath to contain.

Her knee's trembled and Sasuke slowly dropped the hand that held the flask.

Her face was red and she lowered her head, body quaking inconsolably.

After a moment of her heart wringing itself out she didn't posses the breath to speak. She only moaned, falling into the rail and trying to contain the anger and the excruciating pain that shook her fragile frame.

Sasuke sighed.

"I guess the rumors were true about weddings.." he spoke softly. "..everyone get's jealous of the bride."

Sakura ignored him and bit her lip, trying to stifle whatever the hell had gotten into her.

For awhile neither of them spoke.

A few birds chirped overhead and the trees bristled, whispering sweetly.

"You wanna take a ride?" Sasuke asked.

She felt dull, numb, slowly she peeked up from her arms to stare at him, he was offering his flask to her. Dark ravens hair rumpled, smoky eyes clearer than she had ever seen him.

He smirked.

She rolled her eyes, knowing that her face must look horrible with all of that mascara streaking dramatically down her cheeks.

Sasuke tipped the flask back and fourth like a taunt.

"Take a sip...it's magic..."

She couldn't help but laugh at his face, she sniffled and ran the back of her wrist over her eyes.

"Bull crap...just like you, alcohol is only good for one thing..." she whispered, barely audible. Sasuke took a few steps up to meet her, cautiously, he limped slightly.

"Untrue, it warms a chilly heart when nothing else can, makes the pain easier to bare...fucks you up but you won't feel a thing...I know better than anyone the joys of magic water." he spoke softly, once he was close enough he ran his fingers down her arm and grabbed the back of her hand, he fisted her hand within his and brought it to the flask.

"I don't want to get drun-"

"I'm not trying to trick you..." He spoke up abruptly.

She stared into his eyes for a moment and then gripped the snake skinned flask. She leered him down for a moment and then sniffled, bringing the flask to her lips before tossing her head back to take a few sips of the battery like fluid. It felt like she had touched the tip of her tongue to a bitter volt but the liquid felt like fire going down her throat.

She swallowed it back hard and closed her eyes reveling in the way that it warmed her. The wind tossed her hair around and then she started to take another sip.

Sasuke caught her hand and she stared at him.

"Let me show you something..."

She tilted her head.

"You're not exactly good at showing one person something, remember...and anyway why should I go anywhere with you?"

"...because you'll feel better, trust me..." he answered.

"...I did that."

He scoffed.

"Fine...stay here and explain to everyone why you flew like a bat out of hell."

He snatched the flask from her clutches and began to limp slightly down the stairs towards a tree where a motor bike was propped against the tree's bark in the shade.

_He's right...although I'd never tell him he was, I didn't want to explain..._

"Wait!" She shouted before he could rev up the red crimson and navy blue bike, he had already mounted and straddled it.

"I don't see how coming with you will make me feel better?" She asked brokenly although she was sure in her heart that nothing could ever make her feel better.

Sasuke, with a grim face only nodded once.

"Let's find out..."


	17. Truth will set you free

"If you were planning to get me drunk and film another porno again...you've ne-nearly succeeded..."

Her head hung solemnly and she swayed groggily at Sasuke's side after he had cautiously unloaded her from the back of his bike and then made she was fully standing upright.

He kicked down the bike stand and smirked.

"As much as I'd like to see you bristle and talk dirty to me, I don't have the energy or strength to fuck up my house again."

Sakura, standing unsteadily on her toes pointed at both of the Sasuke's in front of her and then frowned very briefly before laughing outrageously.

"So it's all my fault that your house was fucked up?...I always wondered...what the fuck did we do, why...why were you bleeding and why was there glass...and-"

Sasuke shed his brown jacket and placed it on his bike, he turned around to stare at Sakura stumbling about in the flowery red and black dress all of the bridesmaids had worn.

Her lashes fluttered and she swallowed hard and tried to repeat the sentence, Sasuke began to walk, leaving the pink haired women stranded and bewildered at his sudden demeanor.

She looked down at the pointy toes of her high heels and then frowned.

_My piggies are screamin..._

She began to kick off her shoes realizing that the ground looked fluffy and tan. The soles of her feet melted into the cool soggy sand and she scrunched up her toes with a little goofy giggle.

Sasuke turned around to see if she would follow him, fingers engulfed in his pockets and whistled to get her attention.

When she looked up he nudged his head behind him.

"You coming...?" he called out in a velvety husk, that showered over the calm climate of the beach. A small tidal wave of foaming salt and sea tackled his legs and drenched his jeans, he cussed under his breath but then sighed.

Sakura nearly laughed at the fact that he nearly fell and only nodded once, her head swam in a buzz that seemed to sedate her mind from intense thought.

_It really is magic. _

He walked back towards her and collected her red heels and then, wordlessly he grabbed her hand. Sakura was not drunk enough to not question the gesture.

She looked up at the man beside her and he looked down.

"I'm just making sure you don't accidentally drown yourself...I don't know if anyone has ever told you this but...your the craziest women I've ever met when you're fucked up."

"Crazy...your so full of shit Sasuke..."

He only smirked, feather light dark hair being blown into his eyes.

"You would know, your the queen of it."

"Me...I'm the victim here?"

He chuckled.

"Only because you have someone to blame for your stupid actions."

"My what!...you recorded me!"

"No, I recorded us, your the one who posted it online..."

"Are you seriously pathetically sticking to that story?"

"I'm not going to lie to you and sugar code it to make it seem like your innocent, maybe that's why you fucking hate my guts...because I'm not going to lie to you, I tell it as it is and I don't give a damn if you hate me. Fuck you."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you, oh, that's right...I did."

She tore her hand from his and then pushed him, Sasuke didn't budge, nonchalantly he tossed her shoes uselessly over his shoulders and continued to stride on with a stoic face.

Sakura gasped and then began to run back to snatch them up.

"What the fuck is your deal, asshole?"

"My deal, your the one who's lying to themselves...and you know what that's between you and your own psychotic conscious but don't tell me I'm full of shit...because you're too brainwashed to see that all of the shit that's happened is your own fault."

"That doesn't even make any sense...I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't send some pornographic video of me fucking to the entire population of Konoha. That's not me...I have a good job, I ha-have..I have a good life and I'd never see the meaning in screwing it up over some home movie that you made, creep, I don't even know why I came out here with you...I'm on a beautiful beach and I can't even appreciate a goddamn thing because I'm screaming like a psycho banshee because that's just how crazy you make me!"

She yelled at him tossing her hand out towards the endless sea to indicate her surroundings. Sasuke paused mid stride and turned around to look at her, unruly dark hair floating around his face.

"You wanna talk about crazy?..." he chuckled biting his lip and looking completely unruffled, with a huge amount of intensity and great discomfort he limped towards her until he was right in front of her.

"...I cannot..." he paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm something that simmered just beneath his skin.

"...I genuinely hate the sight of you...your voice annoys the shit out of me and every time I see your face I keep thinking of that night when I got jumped trying to save your drunk ass from extinction."

Sakura furrowed a brow. Sasuke scoffed.

"Course you don't remember, well, let me fuckin enlighten you about our night. I took you out to a great place, a bar with not too many people. You had a few drinks in you so I figured it only fair for me to get a few in me and spoil you with more..."

he smirked and stared at the sky with an aloof leer.

"Ah...you were crazy, so fucking out of your mind...I couldn't control you, I watched you dancing around and having a good time. Coolest women I've ever hung with in awhile...and I've hung around with women in town a lot but this was different. You were...so bizarre...strange, like a complete surprise to me. Honestly, I liked it...I liked the vibe I got around you and then you smashed a bottle on some guys head and the next thing I know I'm fighting like hell to save both our asses and get out of there. To make a very long night short, I can tell when a women is coming on to me and you were...so.."

"Oh brother." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke watched her sank to the sandy floor and then pat some sand beside her.

"Come."

He shook his head dismissively, annoyed face still intact.

"I'm good." he answered with resignation, dark eyes staring out at a couple walking past arms wrapped around one another with bubbly giggles. Sakura brought her knee's to her chin and wrapped her arms around them with a sigh. She watched the passing couple also, enveloped in a feeling of great envy and pain.

She frowned. Sasuke kicked at the dirt with his boot and then lowered himself beside her. He kicked his legs out and leaned back on his elbow.

They were both quiet for a moment. The wind whispered past them and licked their faces and then Sakura took a deep breath.

"Can I have some more?"

She asked him. Sasuke pulled out his flask, twisted off the cap and then drunk the rest, gulping it down straight up in front of Sakura's face.

"Asshole.." Sakura uttered scathingly turning her face back towards the view of the gentle roll of the sea.

Sasuke made a noise of a quenched thirst and then licked his lips.

"Sorry, no more.."

"Why did you bring me out here?"

For awhile he didn't answer and Sakura fixed her mouth to inquire the same question.

"Why not?"

"Are you avoiding the question?"

"I can't be avoiding it if I gave you an answer..."

"Which was a question."

He didn't speak for a long moment once again, she peeked from her eye to look at him. He was scrawling a face in the sand with his middle finger, hair over his eyes and obscuring his face.

"I'm not a complete asshole, you were boohooing...figured I'd try and be nice since, you didn't let me die. I mean, I figured you probably would have let me if it weren't for Ino beggin."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Your right...but it had nothing to do with Ino really, I've never lost a patient...no matter how rotten someone is, it doesn't give me the right to choose whether they live or die. Being a doctor, I shouldn't have even wavered to save you but I did and that's wrong."

Sasuke shrugged.

"Don't get all self righteous on me now...we hate each other, stay in character."

Sakura laughed and turned her head on her knees to watch him draw in the sand.

"So, you bought me out here to be nice, that doesn't add up."

"Try to multiply." He teased. Sakura kicked at the sand.

"Sasuke.."

"Sakura...why does there have to be an explanation with you, can't the fuckin sky just be blue..."

She sighed.

"Fine..."

she closed her eyes.

"...thanks because, you were right, I couldn't stay there...everyone worries about me. I can't say that I like that...having people care about you is great but sometimes it's over rated, especially when everyone cares so much that they think you need help."

Sasuke chuckled and then cleared his throat.

"I told you, your crazy."

"Maybe I am..." She spoke softly with a loose shrug.

Sasuke sighed and looked up from his drawing.

"Maybe is out of the question." he uttered. Sakura ignored him.

"So what was with the dramatic crying...were you humping the dumb ass son of a bitch getting hitched?"

"No!...I don't even know the guy..."

"Then why were you crying...hell, I've heard of people crying at weddings but you were fucking bawling like a baby."

She gave him a leer and he raked a hand through his lustrous black hair with a teasing smirk.

"Why should I tell you, you won't even tell me why you brought me to the beach.."

"Who needs a reason to bring anyone to the beach, I told you I was returning a favor, I hate owing people."

"You think you owe me for saving you.."

"I know I owed you for saving me, I've known for weeks now but I couldn't think of a way to approach you and avoid a fight. Your a bitch, remember."

"..and your a fucking asshole!"

He smirked.

"See..it's platonic."

Sakura only stared at him for a brief moment and then stood to her feet and began to strut hard to leave the beach. She looked over her shoulder and saw Sasuke staring at her, he fell back in the sand and laid there facing the sky.

"GOOD LUCK GETTING OUT OF HERE!" He shouted, she ignored him and kept walking until she realized what he meant. The walk seemed very endless and she couldn't even see where the gate to get out began.

She had only been to the leaf beach once and when she had, everyone got into the beach by golf karts or their P.O.V's.

She paused suddenly, blood boiling raw, mind raging as to a way that she could escape and make it to the reception at least. Her mother must've been worried...

_and Kakashi...fuck my life...Kakashi, dammit I'm horrible and selfish and stupid. He was being so good to me and I just left him there after all the hassle of asking him out and him agreeing. What a waste...I'm the worst. _

She took a deep shaky breath and then turned back around to walk back to Sasuke who had still been laying in the sand.

He had lit a cigarette and was taking a drag with his eyes closed. Sakura hovered over him with her hands on her hips.

"Get me out of here...or else."

His lashes fluttered and then his eyes opened and he blew out some smoke. Sakura could see a tattoo on his inner arm when he stretched out his arms and flicked some ashes into the sand.

He chuckled.

"..or else what?"

Sakura chuckled darkly, her face serious as a heart attack.

"You don't want to try me...Sasuke, I know I saved your life...but I can also try and end it too."

He smirked with enjoyment.

"Ohhh, she's ma-ad." he sung, placing the cigarette between his lips and letting it just stay there, the amber at the end of the cig seemed to glow bright and he stared at Sakura.

He patted the ground beside him.

"What's the rush, I'm trying to make peace..."

"Your doing a horrible job."

"Well, that's because your making this difficult...I'm being very generous. Saw that you were in need of my attention and brought you to a secluded area to get whatever it was off your chest."

Sakura hugged herself against the bitter amount of wind that pressed up against her and stared at Sasuke long and hard.

"Well, thank you...it's off my chest now.."

He shook his head.

"Stop lying to yourself...it's eating you alive."

Sakura frowned.

"How would you know."

He shrugged.

"You don't want to be around people...don't want to see anyone happy but you."

_...what..._

He stared at her.

"Sounds familiar?"

"I don't know what your talking about.."

"STOP...fucking lying to me Sakura, it's not going to get you back to the wedding in time enough to make everyone think you just stepped out for a minute."

Sakura coiled up her hands at her side and stared at him hard.

"What do you want me to say!"

"The truth, that I'm telling the truth...about everything, because I am. You told me more than you know...and you don't even remember...or you do remember but you don't want to fess up to any of this stuff...including the fact that you made that video viral."

Sakura only took a long breath.

"It's easy to be the victim when there is someone to blame that looks like the villain and I won't tell anyone that it was you who sent it out because we both know what really happened...and that's all I care about, is that you know the truth. I don't fucking care that people think it's me...I have a reputation for fucking around town so this isn't new to me."

"Why are you telling me this."

"...it's just my way." he stared into her eyes. "..my way of paying you back, I'll take the rap for you if the deal about the video get's to your boss. Maybe that'll make up for you saving my life, maybe it wont but I hate owing people...especially those that I don't get along with."

He let out a breath.

Sakura felt a large amount of nerves hopping in her blood screen.

_Is he serious...he looks serious...may-maybe I really did send it off...ugh...why can't I remember...why can't I remember anything like that and why the hell would I send of a video. Someone is lying here..._

"Can you take me back now?"

Sakura asked trying not to think to hard about all of the new information about that night. Sasuke plucked the cigarette from his lips and put it out on the knee of his jeans.

"Alright."

He answered and stood to his feet.

Sakura dragged her feet behind him as they walked towards the bike. She watched his hair whip around in the wind and once they got to the bike and loaded themselves on Sasuke passed her back a helmet and readied his feet to kick back the stand.

Sakura hesitated for a moment and then grabbed his shoulder.

"I was in love...with a man who fought the war and he...he never came back."

Sasuke was still for a moment, he lowered his head and she could see his hands grip hard on the bars of the bike.

"Love...I've never been in it and I never want to be." was all he said before kicking down the stand and revving the engine to an abrupt snarl of power.


	18. Message on the wall

_Where did you run off to...should I start an investigation?_

_-Kakashi_

_No, I just needed to take a walk...I know what an inconvenient time, it was selfish and I'm really sorry. Please forgive me but I'm headed back.._

_-Me_

_To the church?...There's no one there hun the wedding and reception ended an hour ago. I'm at the station, getting ready to take a trip to the hospital. Your patients conscious and I've been asked to interrogate him for awhile. Sounds like a blast...I saved you some cake, you can come by to pick it up later tonight ;)_

_-Kakashi_

_Lol, is it chocolate?_

_-Me_

_No, your friend told me you wouldn't like the chocolate, it's strawberry vanilla._

_-Kakashi_

_Tenten?..She's right, I've given up on chocolate..._

_-Me_

_The pregnant one...the blond...she makes really good cake by the way._

_-Kakashi_

_Ino...Ino is pregnant...there has to be some, some mistake.._

* * *

Sasuke pulled came to a screeching stop on the sidewalk in front of her apartment and then looked over his shoulder at Sakura, he wasn't wearing a helmet.

_Illegal and extremely dangerous...idiot.._

His hair was wind whipped, disorderly and moist from the dew of the night.

He killed the engine and watched her peel the helmet from her head, long pink hair cascading onto her shoulders.

"Thanks...I guess."

"Don't mention it.."

He only grunted and as he reached for the helmet he cringed and drew his hand back in quickly as if it were attached to some elastic.

"Fuck..." he muttered holding onto his right arm and closing his eyes. His teeth cringed and Sakura, out of instinct touched his shoulder.

"Let me take a look..." She whispered.

He shook his head and shrugged her off angrily.

"I'm fine!" he spat, grabbing his helmet and taking a deep breath.

"Whatever.." She said curtly and quickly climbed off the bike. Without a moments hesitation, Sasuke revved the engine again and backed up with his feet a few times before snaking the bike around where Sakura stood and storming down the street, making a tire path in the asphalt.

Sakura stared after him for a moment before sighing with exhaustion.

_That guy...Ino is the worse match maker in the universe of match makers...SakuSasu is very hopeless but I like the couple name...hmm...SasuSaku...has a nice ring to it though it's anything but that...what the hell am I thinking about..it's cold and I need a bath. _

* * *

_How are you going to get him to talk with all of that gauze over his mouth._

_-Me_

_Your guess is as good as mine hun but we're the police how hard can it be to make someone talk?_

_-Kakashi_

_Lol, I'm glad you have faith in the fact that you're a cop, good luck with making him talk...call me if anything goes wrong, he's still my patient after all._

_-Me_

_Roger check and you call me when you want that cake...or another date, a better one when I don't lose track of you. Will that be ok?_

_-Kakashi_

_Wait for my call :}_

_-Me_

* * *

_Do you know who made the cake for the wedding?_

_-Me_

_Yeah, Ino, why?...and honey where were you...you missed the appraisal I got for those dishes. It's all thanks to my test dummy..that's you dear._

_-Mom_

_Lol, that's good to hear mom...so Ino made it. I had to go back to the hospital, the patient is awake...usually that would be something to celebrate but in this case I think everyone's going to be a little crazier. The hospital will never be the same._

_-Me_

_Sweety, your dad called.._

_-Mom_

_Called you?...mom don't be drawn back in, you can do much better._

_-Me_

_It wasn't for me, he wanted to talk to you...he says you've been ignoring him since you got those letters and he told you the truth. Sweety I know that you hate him for stopping your chance at happiness but he was just being your father and doing what he thought was right. He loves you._

_-Mom _

_Mom, how can you take his side. If I were in some fairy tale I wouldn't even have a happy ending because of him because he toiled with my life, again and stole things that belonged to me...he stole the only happiness I had and I really can't speak to him...not now. The only reason he even told me this is because he's sick, otherwise he would've carried it to his grave and you know it._

_-Me_

_Your just a little upset right now but you'll forgive him, you'll see that your life is better because you chose yourself. I don't agree with what your father has done but at the same time I've seen you wait by the mail box like a puppy and I've seen you losing sleep and failing in school. Sakura, you are a successful young women, love will come again, you just have to be willing to let it happen with someone else."_

_-Mom_

_I'm tired mom, I'll talk to you later._

_-Me_

_Don't be mad at me sweetheart I'm only trying to make good of this situation. Sleep tight xoxox_

_-Mom_

* * *

_So, Sasuke kidnapped you._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_No. I went with him, he told you?_

_-Me_

_He didn't have to, the both of u were missing and I knew I rode to the wedding with him and he's just now picking me up. Plus, I can smell that cheap bath and body works Banana Fantasy all over him...so please tell me you didn't fuck around with him again. Did you?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_No...thanks for having faith that I'm not a slut.._

_-Me_

_I never said you were but I know this bastard can be really convincing. He's sorta manipulative too, he really knows how to fuck with your brain if he wants to. It's the main reason he get's laid._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Heh...you know a lot about him._

_-Me_

_He and I are good friends, although sometimes I wanna kill him... I've hung around he and his older brother when they used to live across the street from my family. We were thick as thieves but that was awhile ago. So, did you get the cake?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Not yet, I just took a shower, I'm about to get some sleep._

_-Me_

_This early, it's only eight thirty._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_I don't have anywhere to be...I don't have plans, Kakashi's down at the station and I just...really feel exhausted._

_-Me_

_Are you sure you didn't have sex?o_0_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_-_- Ino cut it out_

_-Me_

_Well you can always come spend the night here or come congratulate Shikamaru and I on having your god child, damn, you selfish bitch._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_:0 ya I was meaning to tell you that word get's around really fast. BUT THAT'S GREAT!...and you don't want me to be your babies godmother, trust me, I'm unworthy._

_-Me_

_But your my only girl best friend, so the job is yours...get used to it._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_:} I'm not complaining, I'm so happy for you Ino, how's Shikamaru taking it?_

_-Me_

_He's Shikamaru, the first thing he says after the pregnancy test is, this is going to be the biggest drag of my life...I punched him. ;)_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_You guys are too violent to have a kid...I'm realizing more and more why this child may need me in their life. I'm the only sane person in this equation. T_T._

_-Me_

_Glad that we agree :}...any plans for tomorrow?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Nada...was thinking I'd stop by the hospital to update the patient status._

_-Me_

_No your not, your coming over to Sasuke's parents house, they're throwing me a little party._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_I don't think that's a good idea..._

_-Me_

_Sasuke won't bother you if I'm around, I'll stab him._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_lmao...SMH, I guess I can show my face...just to watch you shank him._

_-Me_

_You had better e_e, good night, kick the furball for me._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Goodnight and no lol_

_-Me_


	19. The Killer In Me

_Sakura, _

_It's been too long, I haven't received a letter from you for a year now, I'm starting to wonder if this means that you've given up on us._

_If you have, I understand, I can't ask you to stop your life because I'm stuck. You shouldn't have to suffer because I threw my life away to the fucking military. I will never know what the hell I was thinking._

_Ha, if only I hadn't done that, if only I had waited...things could be so different, we could have been really happy. I would have been the happiest I've ever been. _

_In my life, before you...I didn't know what I was living for. Every day began just as the last had and ended just as quickly. _

_I went through the motions of living but I was never so close to feeling like I had a purpose. _

_Why do we live?...more important, why do we live only to die at the end?_

_I think...the best part of life is when I close my eyes and I think of the man I could've been...because I know he is the one worthy of you and I think of our lives. Despite the hell around me, I have perfect harmony in my mind and then I realize the reason I'm alive, the reason I want to live is because I want my dreams. _

_I want you._

_I can't even imagine a time in my life where my heart went sore for longing for something, where I closed my eyes and wished so badly that I could be where you are...you don't understand...in school they taught us the basic functions of a heart but they never taught us what to do when it ached and it bleeds. _

_I never knew a heart could bleed the way mine does..._

_Well, I hope you know that I intend to get home...I intend to survive and search the world to find you and make you mine because you should already know that I'm yours._

_heh, gushy parts aside._

_I hope your doing well in you career, I am sure you're really proving to everyone that you're strong enough to handle your own life...just like you said you could._

_Your father should know he can't stop you. Your strong and I support your strength because just like you said Kisame and I made one another strong. _

_You make me want to try harder._

_It's you that's made me strong, your letters, your humor. It's wanting to be around you that drives me to wake up every morning even though the odds are stacked against me and I'd be better off just putting one through my skull. _

_haha, I know that way of thinking isn't funny but...war has made me a sick man. My way of thinking, it's changed and I don't know if its for the better but.._

_I feel like I can win, even though I'm alone and there are thousands who seek to kill me...I'll fight like I'm crazy to find you and I will find you._

_I just hope that it's not too late._

_Don't wait anymore...be happy and in time, we'll see one another and we'll smile...and we'll know that, nothing around us matters._

_Only me...and you._

_-Itachi_

* * *

_Sakura,_

_I've never told anyone this but I fear the dark._

_It's not the dark itself that frightens me, it's me being trapped in the eternal abyss that get's to me. _

_I know that I'm losing my sight. Fuck, every day the sky get's darker and darker for me and there is nothing I can do but wait, wait until the darkness swallows me whole._

_I'd be a fool to say I'm not worried, a fool to say that I'll be fine. True, senses sharpen when you lose one of your more dominant sense but all I can think about is living in the darkness without ever seeing your face. _

_This would have never happened if you wouldn't have teased me, now the only thing I'll remember are your legs. Are you happy?_

_Heh, I guess I should have begged more, or bargained with you._

_If time could be manipulated I would have tried harder to keep you but time..it doesn't stand still, doesn't go back, doesn't move forward for any man._

_Tonight the stars are up, very bright probably but in my eyes they've lost their potent leer. The color is very dull but the sound of the crickets seem to be louder._

_My hearing is keen._

_Sitting here, in the tallest tree staring up at the dazzling sky I imagine that you'd be thinking about me, as much as I'm thinking about you._

_Your a stubborn women, so you're probably not trying to think about me but I'm infectious. :}_

_-Itachi_

* * *

_Sakura,_

_Let me go, of me._

_I know it sounds crazy but this war it's never going to end and if it does, I'm not going to be the same man you fell in love with. I've changed...beyond recognition._

_I strangled a man to death and kidnapped his daughter._

_I wasn't going to kill her, all I wanted was a warm meal but my stomach is just as empty as it had been before I killed that man and took his child._

_I did get a meal but I couldn't eat, I lost my appetite._

_Didn't mean to kill her but she died, drowned trying to run from me and I watched. I watched her trying to keep her head above water, I watched until she grew tired and sunk to the bottom like a weight._

_It was wrong but even now, a part of me doesn't see it that way._

_I don't know, what the hell is wrong with me...but you shouldn't be thinking of a man who's murdered more people than you can ever imagine._

_This war is making me lose it, I feel like a monster and monsters can't be loved so, your right to not write me back. I don't know who the fuck I am but...I am not the same man and I don't know if I'll ever be again._

_-00000_

* * *

_Sakura,_

_I ran into Kisame today, for awhile we lost track of one another but I've found him. We were this close to killing one another but I can sniff him out miles away. That fuck hole always smells like the worse fucking seafood. He had an entourage, they're a creepy bunch but they've offered me an alliance with them._

_I'm not sure what they're all about but I could use some help if I'm going to make it out of this shit alive and it wouldn't be so bad to travel with Kisame again._

_For the longest time I've been wondering if he had gone and gotten his ass killed. I guess he's well off, he's gotten even bigger than before, like the true killer shark and I've managed to look skinner day after day._

_I'm thinking starvation will eat away at my bones next._

_Well, I hope you've took it into consideration what I said in the letter before because I mean it. I'm not in my right mind and that's not going to benefit either of us._

_I'll continue to write when I can...I know that maybe it wont make a difference but even writing your name across the paper gives me a piece of mind, a piece of sanity that no longer lay naturally within my consciousness. _

_ I may not know what the fuck is wrong with me but what I am entirely sure of is..._

_I love you._

_-Itachi_


	20. Return Of The Prodical Son

"You can stop smiling at me like now...please."

Sakura scolded Ino, with a fling of her hand and took another sip from a mug of cocoa her best friend had demanded her husband whip up for them.

Sakura sighed and watched Shikamaru inching towards the living room to watch a game of Shoji with Kakashi and a few of the guys whom were already over at Sasuke's parents home.

"So how's sex with that hunk of passionate muscle...you must orgasm damn near every second...mmmh, he even watches T.V sexily..."

Sakura watched her friend stand up from her seat to ogle her date in the living room.

The pink haired women rolled her eyes.

"Ino what the fuck are you talking about, we haven't even had sex..."

"Well then, you should get to the dirty...so you can report back to me and I can dream about it when Shikamaru's on top of me being lazy. I really don't see how I'm in this situation, if Shikamaru is lazy shouldn't his sperm be just as lazy. How did one of those fuckers make it to my precious egg?"

Sakura furrowed a brow at her best friend and watched her stare off into space as if she was really puzzled about the equation.

"Are you pregnant or insane and Shikamaru is not that bad, I don't know how he puts up with you...that poor guy."

Ino rolled her eyes and held up her middle finger in Sakura's face.

"Put's up with me! Fuck you."

"Are you listening to yourself, you made him make cocoa in a house he doesn't even live in."

"Maybe if he had a backbone he could tell me where to shove it."

"So your saying he's too gentle."

"No, I'm saying he lacks the umph and the power of a strong man, I mean I don't want him to beat on me or anything but he can afford to smack me once in awhile."

Sakura found herself failing at keeping a straight face, she placed down the mug and began to laugh so loud that it drew the attention of some of the men in the room.

They all seemed to issue her a look of annoyance that clearly said, 'shut the hell up!'.

She swallowed hard and then cleared her throat, staring back and waiting for the looks to go away.

Suddenly the front door came open and an older women with lustrous black hair scrolled in with an arm full of groceries.

She kicked the door close and sang out a soothing, 'hello' to all of the men in the living room.

There was a great deal of chatter to her greeting and then it died out and they all were hooked back to the game.

Sakura stood up, she and Ino and began to lighten the women's load. Each of them grabbing two bags. The women chuckled.

"I knew I always wanted a girl for some reason." She commented.

Ino smirked and placed the bags on the counter, Sakura followed suite.

"It's never too late Mikoto, third times the charm."

The elderly women, with the sweet face only smiled and shook her head.

"I don't think so darling...I can barely keep up with one child as it is, I've raised him and now he's the town tramp."

Sakura couldn't resist laughing at Sasuke's mother calling him a tramp, she tried to disguise it as a cough and Mikoto looked at her with a grin.

"Who is this beautiful young women laughing at my boy?"

Ino yanked Sakura closer towards Mikoto.

"Mikoto this is my best friend Sakura and Sakura this is Sasuke's mom Mikoto. She's the best cook alive and without her that cake would have been...or should I say wouldn't have been."

"Nice to meet you, the cake was mouth watering.."

Sakura laughed and then extended a firm hand out but the women pulled her into a nice crisp embrace. She smelled like a bakery and all sorts of vanilla.

"That's how we greet people in this house, if love is so strong there should be no hate or embarrassment right?"

"Right.." Sakura was flustered and overwhelmed but it was nice, how warm hearted this women was, it was something her mother hadn't wasted time being.

The women grabbed both Sakura's hand once she pulled back and then brought the young womens palms to her face to spectate.

"Your hands need to be broken in and I know just the way to do that..."

_Um...I don't like the way she said that.._

"I'm fine with them not being broken in...I need them..."

The pink haired women uttered. Ino snorted out a laugh.

"We need them more." Mikoto said darkly with a scary arch to her delicate brows. She looked to be in her late thirties but she was very petite and fair skinned. Beautiful really.

Sakura gave a panicked look to her best friend and Ino placed an apron on her shoulder.

"I told her you didn't know diddly squat about cooking, so we're going to cook today's entire meal."

"What the hell, don't be modest pig...your not exactly Chef Boyardee either" She hissed.

"Your wrong, thanks to Mikoto I've been doing just fine, I thought I'd share the wealth." She stuck out her tongue and Sakura glowered at her.

"I'm going to kill you." She said through her teeth.

"Yes, well hopefully your not completely hopeless at cooking like your mom because than you'd kill me."

Sakura laughed dryly.

"I'm going to kill you regardless and my cooking will have nothing to do with it." She promised, softly.

Ino laughed.

"We should start right away Mikoto, Sakura's gettin anxious!"

"Well of course, just let me make a quick call to Sasuke, I forgot the paper plates maybe he can pick them up and then we can get down and jiggy with this thang."

She released Sakura and started shaking her backside while walking into the kitchen to fetch the house phone. Sakura cut a look at Ino and then shoved at her shoulder.

Ino laughed.

"You'll thank me later and beside it'll be fun cooking with Mikoto she's very sweet and the women really knows her stuff."

"I guess...so...is Sasuke actually going to come here?"

Ino tilted her head and twisted a blond lock around her index finger.

"There's no telling with him but even if he doesn't I'll just have Shikamaru go out and get some paper plates."

"Paper plates?"

"Um...ya, isn't that why you asked about him..."

"...oh...yeah, duh."

Ino furrowed a brow.

"You okay lady?"

She smirked slightly.

"Yeah I'm just, tired...I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Should've spent the night, Shikamaru rented some pretty good movies, you can borrow them, we never return blockbuster movies and yet they always let us come in and rent again."

Sakura crossed her arms and shrugged.

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda...I'll take you up on that, my T.V has been collecting dust since Med School."

A moment and a half later Mikoto slammed down the phone and stared at it for awhile as if it she couldn't believe it was there and then she placed her palms to her lips and began to breath very harshly.

"Mikoto..." Ino began. "...Mikoto what's wrong, is everything alright?"

The women began to cry or laugh, Sakura wasn't sure which one she could hear more. She leaned over in a hysterical fit.

"Thank you god...he's-he's home he's he's coming home!" She began to shout with joy. Voice sore, spirits high but the sadness crept through her voice.

"My boy, he-he's alive!"

Ino's eyes were wide and even they seemed glossy as though she'd cry. Sakura felt like she was intruding on this little affair.

She smiled sadly to herself and let out a sigh.

Kakashi came up behind her and touched her shoulder startling her from the feeling of solemn grieving that she never had a moment like this one.

_You never came..._

Wordlessly, she turned into his chest and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, she was engulfed in that strong hot hold of spicy cologne and something that just smelled like his natural musk.

It comforted her and she nodded against his heartbeat.

"Where is he...is he here?"

"Yes, he's at the airport, he's waiting for us to pick him up...let's get out of here my little boy he's waiting!"

"I'll drive...I can't guarantee that we'll get there legally but I can guarantee that we'll get there."

"I'll get my key's, I'll call Fugaku and Sasuke a-and..." She sniffled hard and burst out crying again, in disbelief. Sakura looked over her shoulder and watched the women began to run.

Ino stared off behind her and clapped her hands, Ino turned around and Sakura could see now that she had actually been moved to tears.

She dabbed at them with the tips of her fingers and then Sakura turned around to help wipe them away even though more came in their place.

"You do-on't know how...long she's been waiting to see him...I-I'm so happy for her..."

Sakura laughed bitterly and then almost began to cry staring at Ino cry, barely able to speak aloud. Her voice was shaky.

"Stop it you...Shikamaru might see and think your weak."

Ino laughed.

"We might have to end the party...I'm sure Fugaku and Mikoto are going to want to have some time alone with their eldest son when he get's here.."

Sakura nodded.

"That'll be okay, I wasn't exactly looking forward to burning up the house anyway."

Ino smiled and leaned in to kiss Sakura's forehead.

"Do you want to come?" She asked.

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, he had his chin planted in her head of hair.

"No, no I'd just ruin the reunion."

Ino only nodded fleetingly.

"Text me ok."

"Kay."


	21. Scorn

_Sakura, _

_The world is an amazing place, just when you think you've seen all there is to see, something comes along and expands your mind to things well beyond your imagination._

_I've never been this far from home in my life but I always thought about exploring the word beyond our little city. Konoha, it's great and all but it's not all there is to see._

_Do you know what I mean?_

_I know for a fact you do. You're always telling me how you want to get out of your parents house and run away with me, ha. Well, we can run...to where ever you'd like, where ever you're satisfied...I'll be satisfied._

_Whatever part of the world you touch, we'll go there without the fear of ever being apart._

_I'm not a hard guy to please or live with, I don't ask for much, simply or adoration and sexual favors. _

_Can you handle that? Haha...regardless of your negative answer I'm sure I'll make you handle it. _

_I do have my moments of silence, I'm the kind of guy who thinks and weighs things before I say anything aloud but I doubt any of those moments will fall on you and I. Your mouth is much too big to be contained, I gather that over a series of letters so I can only imagine what hell it would be if I made you angry._

_I can't promise that I won't make you angry but I can promise you that I'll always be the first one to make it all better and initiate the make up sex._

_Sex wont solve everything but at least it will probably keep your mouth shut for awhile, just long enough for me to smooth it over if I'm wrong._

_**If I'm wrong.**_

_Today, we've covered loads of ground and managed to make it to an abandoned train station but we were attacked by several enemy air strikes._

_Now I know why I miss being in the air because being shot at from the sky makes it really hard to dodge the bullets when they're plummeting around you like deadly rain. I can almost always expect that I'm going to be shot everyday._

_I almost don't flinch when something pierces through me._

_It doesn't feel like anything anymore, just another scar that hasn't killed me,something to mull over if I survive._

_The thing is, the Air strikes...they weren't Suna planes, they were Konoha planes...I've been pilot enough to know every twist and turn of our aircrafts...and I know it belongs to Konohagakure but what I don't know is why they're tracking us.._

_-Itachi_

* * *

Sakura and Kakashi stood under a street light late that night admiring the scenery of a few luminous fire crackers going off in the distance.

"It's beautiful..." She whispered with rapt fascination feeling Kakashi's eyes on her face, she smirked.

"You really shouldn't be wasting such a perfect moment staring at my ugly mug." She joked.

She tilted her head to unleash a disproving stare on him. Even though they were not in the field a distance away, the discolored bright sparks of light touched his face and made it a remarkable pallet and danced exotically in his eyes.

_He's...he's going to kiss me-do I want that?_

"I don't intend to waste anything..." he murmured thoughtfully holding onto the light pole and leaning down slowly with that, 'I'm about to suck your face in' expression. He closed his eyes but Sakura's eyes were wide open and hesitant. She couldn't really say she was taking by surprise or that this hadn't been the first time he looked like he would do it but he had never acted out what his face may have been saying to her...until now.

_I can't..I don't want to do this...I mean, of course it wouldn't be a bad thing...he's a very handsome man but, bu-_

He was advancing, closer, a hand reaching out to push her hair back and cup her cheek. Sakura slid her face away from his magnetic touch with a shudder but at the same time she tried to fight the urge to run away.

_Why shouldn't I do this...he's a great guy! He has a career, he has a future...and...and okay so what we have no connection, maybe the connection will come...maybe I can just do this, just because I'm unsatisfied and picky doesn't mean, he should be rejected. He's given me no reason to not try...maybe I can find happiness if I just...try hard to be with someone else. Someone who is not just a possibility but an option in front of my very eyes._

_Ok, I'm going for this, I'm doing this, don't try to talk me out of it...I'm not listening, la-la-la-la-la_

She quickly closed in the distance, tossing her arms over his shoulder, encircling him and pressing her mouth against his heated lips which were caught off guard even though they were drawn.

She closed her eyes tightly and the face of her lover appeared in her mind like a picture that she lost long ago. She choked a bit but swallowed down that hiccup of thought.

Kakashi's arms were suddenly pulling her in tightly and snaking her around her small waist with a hidden agenda.

A sudden sadness crept it's way through her bloodstream and her numb lips trembled as she began to suck on his bottom lip, kissing him passionately sloppy, forcing herself to adapt to her frame of mind.

She could feel tears burning her eyes and a cry escape her mouth between their stroking mouths. Kakashi's lips paused expertly on her's and he loosened his iron grip around her waist.

_Get out of my head...get out of my head!_

"Are you ok...we don't have to do this dear, I'm a completely patient man, having sex with you is a delicious thought but...it's not everything, I'm not a hard man to please...those are the perks of being older."

Sakura stared up at him trying to bite back the trembling lips that held back the pain forming a lump in her throat. She smiled briefly at him.

"I know but I want to try harder.." She whispered breathlessly to a very bemused Kakashi, one brow cocked high.

"Wha-"

She took a deep breath and attacked him again, eyes closed tight, hands cupping his cheeks as she pulled him down to her height and crushed his lips against her's.

She dug her fingernails into his shoulders and bit his lip hungrily and Kakashi gripped her shoulders and pushed her away from him. He stepped away a few more times, hands ruffling his silver head of hair undecidedly. He rubbed at one of his shoulders and licked his lips with a slight frown. He looked up at the teary eyed girl in front of him.

"I don't think we should do this tonight and trust...I really want to but-"

Some fireworks shrieked in the distance and exploded a moment later. Sakura stared at his haunted face, she could tell that he probably thought she was a nut job and for some reason she didn't mind, she wasn't even offended that he was blowing her off.

"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away...this weekend, it hasn't been too good for me. I haven't gotten a lick of sleep...I'm so sorry Kakashi your a great guy but I can't, I can't go there with you...I'm just, in a bad state to be dating anyone...sorry I wasted your time."

He furrowed a brow.

"You can't go there or you won't."

"Both...I'm not ready to be in a relationship...I'm fucked up, look at me...I'm broken and there's no fixing me, thanks for tonight, thanks for being nice but honestly I don't deserve you and you don't deserve a maniac like me..."

_Maybe Sasuke was right...I'm crazy..._

He stood there for a moment staring at her but eventually he only sighed and held open his arms, walking towards her. He hugged her and caressed her back in a gentle yet tempting way.

He was so warm and kind. Sakura closed her eyes.

"I understand, take all the time you need and get some sleep. Your turning into a zombie...with a lip fetish."

She chuckled.

"I'll try. Thanks and can you do me a favor?"

"Whatever you like sweetheart."

"Can you give my friend Tenten a chance, she's pretty decent...I'm not trying to throw you off my scent or anything but it's a suggestion and I could be playing match maker but Ten..she's a great person."

"Hmm, the loud mouth girl during the conference..?"

Sakura laughed.

"That's the one, she's really not that bad, she just tries extra hard."

"Well I'm sure I can work something out..."

Sakura's back pocket began to vibrate in her back pocket but she ignored it.

"Thanks, goodnight...and I'm so sorry for wasting your time."

"It was anything but a waste Sakura, when you're older like me...you'll see that there is no waste to a clock that's dwindling in time...Goodnight, sweetheart, sleep well."

He smirked and began to walk down the street. Sakura lingered on his languid stride for a moment before feeling her backside vibrate once again.

She quickly began to yank it out of her back pocket, pulling the phone to her ear and then realizing that she hadn't pressed the talk button.

She initiated the green button with a sigh.

"Hello...who is this?"

"me."

"..and me is?"

"..me as in your father, na-uh-uh, Sakura Haruno if you even so much as entertain the thought of hanging up on me...there are other ways that I can get a hold of you. I am not above taking a drive to the city."

"What do you want?"

"I have a surprise for you..."

"I want nothing from you, you may be able to buy mothers generosity but I get my game face from your side of the family. I have my own money and there is nothing you can do that surprises me anymore."

He laughed wryly.

"Let's be civil."

"_Let's_, continue to ignore one another, that was civil enough...I think you were more of a dad than."

He sighed very painfully and then erupted into a frenzy of coughs, for awhile this went on before he gained his composure and cleared his throat a few times breathing intently.

"Are you really going to behave this way, like a child...I thought you were past this, him...what is done is done. My actions can not be undone."

"...and neither can my trust, go to hell dad.."

She hang up quickly and coiled her fingers around the small phone with a sigh of exhaustion.

_You've got some nerve..after everything you did, I will never forgive you.._


	22. Trick or Treat

"Did I ever mention how much I love you?"

"Did I ever mention how much I really don't want you to, mention it?"

"Well I do."

"I know and if you really love me you'd zip it."

"That's gonna be all types of hard."

"I suggest you try and make it easy."

"Sakura, what's on your mind."

"Nothing, I'm just...I sorta said something really nasty to my dad and while I'd like to stop coming home to all of the voicemails he leaves on my house phone...I'd rather them continue to roll, just so that I know he meant it...when he said he was sorry but since our-or should I say since I cursed him out, he hasn't contacted me in day's and I'm getting a little worried.."

"I wouldn't."

"He's not your father of course you wou-"

"Sakura, since I've known you, you're always talking about your dad working all of the time...the guy missed your high school graduation to close up the loose end of a deal. I'm pretty sure he's not worked up about this falling out between he and you. He's already back to himself, ignoring you."

"Maybe...it's just mom said he was really sick.."

"He's old, he probably caught a twenty four hour bug."

Sakura Haruno sighed and nodded at her best friend who lay down in the steam room on the bench, hand cloth covering her face.

Sakura could feel the vapors of the steam room cleansing out her gaping pours. She let loose a heavy breath and raked her fingers through her damp pink hair and began to get fascinated by the length of her hair.

"My hair feels like a mop."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Should I get a cut, that'd be...refreshing."

"What are you going for, boy short or just a trim."

"Neither, something a little in between...it could be liberating."

"It could be your biggest mistake...I mean, if you cut your hair what's going to cover all of that forehead your always bitching about."

"What, I haven't complained about my forehead since college.."

Ino chuckled.

"Well if you want we can go get a quick snip-snap before we meet up with Shikamaru."

"Ino, I-I dunno if I really wanna cut it off...I was just entertaining the idea."

"Sakura." Ino peeled half the towel off her face and arched a thin brow. "...it's about time you changed your look and your standards. You've been single for over ten years and if that doesn't drive a women crazy then I don't know what the hell will."

Sakura pulled her knees up to her chin in the thick smog of heat and wiped the sweat from her forehead onto her knee with a sigh.

"I'm not going crazy Ino.."

"You made a porno, which, by the way is skipping a few steps for you...you're conservative...not all balls in like that women on that video. That women may have had your face but she was...wild, I would have never known it was you in a million years."

"Mmph, please don't remind me..."

Sakura closed her eyes and felt relieved feeling the sweat leaking from her flesh.

_I really needed this Ino, thanks. _

Work had been severely simple, she came in, completed her usual regime of checking up on the regulars and then she escaped to the floor where the prisoner was.

As usual, he watched her record his bill of health down on the chart and make small chatter with the police and then she poured him a fresh glass of water and placed it on the table beside him since he could now drink since they had removed the gauze from his lips and ears but his face was still obscured.

_He's recovering pretty quickly, it's actually kind of unexpected for someone with a bad heart to just function as well as he is. The heart in is chest is potent. _

"Ok, we should bounce before I sweat the baby out of me.."

Sakura only chuckled.

"That impossible Ino but ya I'm feeling pretty exhausted."

"That's too bad because you're not out of the woods for our plans tonight."

"What plans?"

"Did you forget already?" Ino sat up, purple kimono robe slipping down her shoulders and exposing her busty slick boobs.

She frowned at Sakura and swiped off the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

"The Konoha Vet's fair.."

"I haven't forgotten, it's just never existed." Sakura explained dryly.

"It does now...that's what you get for not watching the news."

Sakura only sighed.

"So, what does this fair have to do with me?"

"Nothing but your coming with Shika and I, I've even managed to drag Sasuke's older bro into our little shindig."

"Why ever would you do a crazy thing like that." Sakura scowled at her. "Ino I'm really not interested."

"Neither is he, which makes this whole thing even better because you both are being pathetic.."

"Ino, please don't try to match me with someone else...I need to be alone for now, I'm unbalanced."

"Unbalanced? You made one sex tape with a guy you don't even like...get over it Sakura, if it's not on E new's it's nothing to be embarrassed about...no one is a saint."

"Ino, can I tell you something."

"That's a stupid question, you know you can, what's on your mind."

"I've been having dreams..."

"Dreams, pg13 or rated S for SEX!"

"Ino." Sakura shushed her with a little chuckle.

"Well it's...I-I um.."

"Spit it out Sakura...it's just me and you in here."

Sakura sighed and Ino scotched down the brown bench towards her, straddling it and leaning forward with great interest.

"There's this guy...and I-I never see his face but in this dream we're married and I know I should be happy b-but I'm not...and then there's this other guy and he's not the man I'm married to and I never see his face either but we're always sneaking around and yes, having sex...but it's not just the sex, he's really...it just seems like he understands me, like...he knows me better than I know myself...and I can't seem to get the dreams out of my head. I even day dream about it..."

"That's...so hot, I wish my dreams were that scandalous."

Sakura rolled her eyes and Ino cleared her throat.

"So, what's so bad about that?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to tell someone...I actually look forward to sleeping.."

"I would too if I was committing adultery and fucking a man who wasn't Shikamaru too. If only I was ruthless enough to get away with it in real life, then, my life would be complete."

"Your sex drive amazes me Pig...how are you pregnant and more horny."

Ino only grinned.

"Hormones are a bitch that's how."

Sakura Haruno stared at herself in the lengthy mirror behind Ino and Shikamaru's bedroom door and gawked at her appearance from every angle.

She and Ino had been out for majority of the day spending their earnings and enjoying getting themselves treated.

It had been awhile since they had spent a day pampering themselves with all of the crazy going on in the city and the prices rising she wasn't too sure that they'd ever get a chance again.

_The end is near.._

Just as she was yanking at the sheer pink ruffled shirt Shikamaru poked his head through the door and stared at her.

He whistled and then looked utterly surprise once he spotted her hair.

Sakura, bemused and with a loss of confidence began to flatten her small bang over her forehead but it didn't cover it as much as it used to.

_Fuck, I bet this looks horrible...fuck...why didn't I listen to Ino.._

"What...is it gross?"

Shikamaru shook his head and took a bite out of a banana that wasn't peeled.

"No...no...it's, it's cute." he said in that dry voice of his before shooting her the peace sign.

"Are you ready to go?"

She nodded.

"Ya."

He lingered there for a moment and then made it awkward with a small grin.

"What?" Sakura asked fussing with her shot pixie cut again.

"Nothing, it's just, you look different..."

"Is that good?"

"I don't know." He said with a shrug and then slipped out from behind the door.

Sakura stared at herself one more time in the mirror and the women in the mirror stared back pretty fiercely at her, cheek bones prominent...green eyes fiery.

_This is going to take some getting used to...she's giving me way too much credit..._

* * *

Nights in Konohagakure were always dazzling, from the fireflies to the lanterns to the city lights there was always a thousand pictures that could be taken and yet none of it compares to the actual scenery.

The fair was nothing short of scenic. A faris Wheel with flashing sprinkles of neon loomed over most of the park with it's screaming passengers and love sick couples.

There was a musk that clung to the air and disturbed Sakura's stomach and the sound of screeching children and indistinct chatter made her feel claustrophobic.

_I haven't been to one of these things since I was eight...not as thrilled but Ino on the other hand..._

She watched Ino grin from ear to ear and slap Shikamaru on the back.

"Where are we going first toots?"

Shikamaru only sighed in a bothersome manner.

"How about you and Sakura go on the baby rides and I'll wait for the weasel."

"Great Idea baby, that's why I keep you around...let's go Sak, we're going on the merry go round."

Ino snatched her hand and yanked her down the cobbled pathway.

Sakura tried to keep up but eventually Ino broke off with only a single glance over her shoulder and a shrug but she was not headed towards the merry go round or even any ride...there was a man in the distance and Ino grabbed his hand and the both of them began to run off.

Sakura only gaped.

_What the hell was that!..._

She felt like she had just witnessed a murder but she only shook her head.

_What do I really expect from Ino..._

She lingered on the pathway, staring up at the Faris Wheel for a moment, her father crossed her mind minutely and what he may have felt like when she told him to go to hell.

_He deserved it.._

She always told herself he did but in the back of her mind she knew that what he had done...he really thought that he was helping her...any father would think that he was doing the right thing.

_How could he have known really. I never told either of my parents about my pen pal and maybe I couldn't see that they were both worried, there was just too many things going on...too many moving parts and I was the only one standing stil-_

"Truth or dare."

The voice made her ear tingle and she realized that human lips were rubbing against her earlobe. For a minute her body felt arrested and then she froze and turned around to see Sasuke behind her.

He grinned and raised his hands up as though he surrendered.

"You first, I dare you...to leave me the hell alone." She said to him.

He only smirked and shook his head, his misty dark eyes looking up at the Wheel.

"I'll do my dare if you do your dare."

_I don't have time to play games with him...but I wanna know my dare.._

"What's my dare?"

"I dare you, to accompany me on the Faris Wheel."

"Why me?"

"Why not you.."

Sakura only frowned. Sasuke yanked out his flask.

"Trick or Treat."

Sakura stared at the snake skinned flask and then looked over her shoulder to see if anyone she had known was behind her, once the coast was clear she hugged herself and began to head for the Wheel. Sasuke followed behind her quietly.

Once they were seated, buckled down and suspended in the sky awaiting the next pair to be buckled Sakura turned towards Sasuke but he was looking away from her.

Dark hair blowing in the wind as he regarded the stars with favor.

The blanket of night really suited his features, made him look more human and gentle.

He sighed as if he were bored.

"Treat.." Sakura said holding out a hand for the flask.

Sasuke stared at her for a moment and then pulled out his flask, Sakura began to reach for it but he snatched it away and wagged it in his ear.

"It's empty.." he informed her with a little smirk.

All of the blood seemed to drain from her skin and she stared wide eyed at him.

"What the hell..."

"Trick."

He chuckled and then hauled his arm back and tossed the flask, it went flying like the perfect cannon bomb and disappeared in the ocean of the night. Sakura was on edge, staring after it like it was the only cure for a headache.

"You fucking asshole."

He smiled.

"You didn't need it."

"You don't know what I need." She hissed. "...otherwise you'd know that I don't need to be up here with you, accidents happen on these things all the time."

He chuckled.

"Are you threatening me?"

He asked challengingly.

"I'm not doing anything...yet." She grumbled, leaning over to her side of the cart just as they began to rise once again even higher into the sky.

Sakura stared at her dangling feet and a rush of anxiety gripped her ribs and made her stomach flutter, she took a deep breath.

"Afraid of heights?"

"No!"

He grinned.

"You didn't sound too sure about that."

"Shut up."

"Why would you get on?...alcohol can't stop us from plummeting to our death if this thing falls apart."

"I know that...and I'm not afraid."

He too a deep breath through his nose and then leaned over the harness that was pulled over them.

_What the hell is he doing..._

The cart tipped over a bit and Sakura, in a extreme panic clutched on to the bar like a wet cat trying to slip out of a pool.

"You fucking bastard...would it hurt you to not be stupid for once!"

She could see him grinning and leaning in more, pushing himself against it recklessly. The cart wobbled and made a hideous noise that added to the horror.

"Cut it out, it's not funny!" She hollard at him gripping the bar with all her strength and trying to pull them back to a leveled sit.

Below, the people looked like microscopic germs and the mountains sat too far away off the ground. The fall looked like it would murder a plane and all Sakura could imagine was herself colliding with the ground from this radius.

Breath caught in her chest, heart racing she realized she hadn't completely thought getting on this thing through.

_I only wanted to drink to get my mind off my stupid life for a little while, so what if Sasuke just so happened to be the guy I would get a drink from but I wasn't going home with him...I only wanted to feel good tonight, I only wanted to not think about how tragic my life has become...at least I'm sorta happy in my damn dreams. _

"I'm not laughing." Sasuke muttered just as the Wheel began to function normally and they raised even higher and quickly up to the tippity top and then began to descend down, gradually.

"So, your afraid of heights."

"Why in fucks name are you asking me...you know I am.." She breathed even harder, sitting as far back as she could even though they were still tipping forward at a dangerous angle.

"I do but I'm not asking me the question, I'm asking you the question. Are you?"

Sakura frowned at him and watch him began to rock back and forth with a stupid little grin on his stupid little face as he watched her features shift from stubborn and angry to, scared and nervousness.

She stared at him.

"I am you fucking bastard...now stop it!"

He did and sat back in his seat looking very content.

Once Sakura gained control of her breathing she shivered and stared at him.

"Why did you do this.."

"To prove a point."

"Which was..."

"You didn't really believe me when I said liquor was magic water did you, if so don't even fuckin answer that question."

"HA-HA very funny, I'm not some stupid eight year old I know what alcohol is."

"That's what everyone says, everyone sees it as some type of fucking cure...some magic water that makes life easier to bare, makes you stronger...hides you from the truth, from yourself..but it doesn't, it just stalls you from the inevitable...makes you do fucked up shit that you'd never imagine you were capable of."

Sakura only stared at him as he stared into the distance, aloof and absorbed in his own musings.

"I don't need a lesson to make me feel bad...and besides your no fucking angel."

He stared at her.

"I never said I was, I do it for all of the own reasons as well but I can own up to my bullshit...that's the difference between you and I."

"Doesn't make you better."

"No and it doesn't make you better either. What are you trying to hide from?"

"None of your business, I don't see why your trying to decode me...don't we hate each other."

He smirked.

"I don't hate you, I just don't like liars, I feel like you owe me an answer since I made it up to you by getting all of those videos pulled off the net."

"I DON'T OWE YOU SH-...wait what.."

He nodded.

"Pulled from every porn site that it was uploaded to...this morning." he said after clearing his throat.

_What...he's definitely talking out of his ass... _bull-mother fucking-shit.

"You don't even believe me, huh, that's fucking ironic." He sneered with the ghost of a smile.

"Why would you do it if it was my fault."

"...we both have reputations to keep."

Sakura noticed the gleam of a ring on his finger where a man usually tried to keep rings off that finger awaiting marriage. It was a band.

_...maybe it keeps off the unwanted company, wait a minute...he's a slut he wants company, so that ring doesn't make any damn sense. Neither does he for that matter so I guess it fits!_

"Reputations." Sakura laughed. "...right, well, thanks...thank you Sasuke for taking your video down."

"Our Video."

Sakura shivered.

"Whatever..."

The ride ended ten minutes later and Sakura got off and happily tapped her feet on the bumpy ground. The gate keeper scolded Sasuke and the raven haired young man only smiled and placed a twenty dollar bill in his hands.

"Sorry." he uttered and continued to walk after a fleeing Sakura.

_Crazy son of a bitch...I'm going to kill Ino..I cannot believe she thought this guy was anywhere near my type! What is she on!_

"Sauce-kay!"

Sakura paused when a tall blond women came running, bumping shoulders with her and diving into Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke accepted her, hair over his eyes as he looked down at the top of her blond head of hair. She looked very elegant and chic...not like any fashion she Sakura had seen there in Konohagakure.

_Must be from out of time...damn he works quickly doesn't he. From one piece of ass to the next, men are so damn filthy!_

"Hey babe, I've been waiting." Sasuke said huskily in a way that she recognized immediately, she watched his hands crawl down her spine and grab a cheekful of her, a grin touched his lips. She laughed.

"I know, I got held up...daddies left nut, my brother made me attend one of his meetings...I need a fucking line, do you know where we can score some?"

Sasuke only nodded.

"Hm, you have no idea.."

He whispered grabbing her hand and looking up to see Sakura watching them.

_ah...damn...now he probably thinks I want him.._

He only stared for a moment but then turned away and began to walk off.

"What were you looki-"

The blond looked over her shoulder and spotted Sakura, Sakura quickly turned to walk away.

_I think I've had enough of this fair...I'm going to find Ino then I'm going home._


	23. Crash Into You

_Dear Sakura, _

_I always thought I'd be terrified, to have a kid...be someones father. Just saying that sounds pretty impossible, I really don't know what I'd do if I had a __kid__. I grew up thinking, I'd turn out to be a bitter father, fuck up my __kids life__ like mine because I'm jealous that he'll have it better than me. _

_My father was like that._

_He made my life miserable, he did things to my brother and I that...I can't even explain. He was the type of man that I used to never want to see facing me in a mirror. Manipulative and bitter...controlling and vindictive._

_I never want to be that bitter, that fucking heartless that I scare my son...or my daughter. Yes, I'm man enough to admit that I might want a child one day._

_I don't know if I'll be a good one but I can always try...maybe I can be someone's father one day. _

_-Itachi_

* * *

Shikamaru and Ino opened the car door and spotted Sakura sleeping in the back seat. Shikamaru sighed.

"Are we taking her home?"

"No, getting back into town is going to take awhile I'm sure Mikoto wouldn't mind some guest over."

"We're spending the night at the Uchiha's, again?"

"Shikamaru, getting back into town is going to take at least forty-five minutes...and I've got a bone to pick with a certain Uchiha for not showing up."

"Better him than me.." Shikamaru murmured before closing the back seat door.

* * *

Sakura woke the next morning groggily and for some reason exhausted. She opened her eyes expecting to see Hikos premature slong dangling over her eyes, tail flickering back and fourth as he climbed over her face to get to the pillows but to her deepest dismay she arose to a room painted in a burning red.

Empty as it was, there was an aroma of jasmine, lily and something very distinct.

Sakura sniffled and raised her arms to the ceiling with a thorough stretch.

_Something smells...good...oh my god it's food!_

Her stomach complained and she swallowed hard and slipped out of the foreign bed. Her toes dragged over the icy floorboard and she shivered.

_This is definitely...not my house.._

_Who's is it?_

She heard a woman's humming and the bustling of a few dishes and sizzling of something porky.

_Bacon..._sniff, sniff..._Sausage_

Once she heard Ino's chuckle she began to creep down the hallway, towards the stairs. She eased her way down slowly.

_What is going on down there..._

"What's for breakfast weasel?"

"Come and see."

"Mmmh...he can throw down, excuse me for thinking you had lost your touch."

"Like mother like son!"

"Only better...because I don't know what I'm doing."

Sakura nearly fell down the steps, her heart gave a deafening beat and she clang to the rail.

_That voice..that voice...that voice..where have I-_

"Make sure you cook enough, we have a visitor."

"Eh? Visitor, now you tell me...who is this visitor?"

"It's just Sakura, poor thing was so exha-"

Something shattered and a man cursed huskily. It was quiet for a moment. Sakura stood still on the staircase, eyes flickering around in bewilderment.

"Are you alright?"

"Ya..I just...who is here...upstairs?"

Ino scoffed.

"Sakura...she's right upstairs but she doesn't eat mu-"

"Upstairs..." the voice said mechanically, breathy.

"Um...ya...Itachi...are you alright...?"

_I...I-Itachi...it cant be.._


	24. Dream weaver

**A/N- Yes I know cliffhangers are evil but sometimes the next chapter after was worth it. Hopefully this was worth it ^_^ THANK YOU for all of your reviews. I changed up the meeting from the last time I wrote it because it wasn't enough to me but this time I think I've got it :D based on the characters. Enjoy and have a happy Wednesday!**

* * *

_It's crazy. _

_Too crazy to admit so I'll just deny it, so I won't be devastated when the time comes to pick up the pieces. _

_Every piece always felt like glass, shards that drew the darkest blood out of me. _

_I can't afford to feel this way after a dream, to feel a bit more dead. _

"I'll be right back..."

The husk male voice softly informed the two women down stairs.

She twisted around on her toes refusing to run down the stairs as she would have done any other dream. Her conscious felt very aware that she wouldn't be able to just snap back out of this one.

With a painful lump lodged in her gullet she quickly retreated back into the guestroom and stared at the creamy white bed.

Like any other vague dream this was probably the passage back into reality.

The reality that she'd be alone when she woke up, alone and a mess of tears and agony.

She tried to swallow down the painful lump but it seems to get bigger. A whimper rips through my throat.

She hate the sound of my cries, she had never heard a walrus scream but thought maybe her cries sound that way.

Like a delirious walrus.

Trying to stifle the sound she place my fingers over my lips.

Her conscious mind seemed sadistic, tormenting her...or maybe it was just her tormenting herself.

_This was my doing after all._

Dream after dream...she was tired of crying, tired of hurting but every night she had been the pin-cushion of her own obsession.

_Maybe that's what this was...not love but obsession._

She tried to blink back the hot tears welting holes through her cheeks but they persisted angrily.

Hurriedly she climbed into the bed and threw the sheets over herself wishing they were heavy enough to calm her fitful rage.

_It's time to get real.._

_He's dead...he's gone and he's never going to come back no matter how many dreams feel real no matter how many soldiers come back from war, he wont be one of them. He was a love gained and a love lost. It's time to move on because you're only hurting yourself more and more every time you revisit this pain. Ino was right...even though..._

_I thought the pain helped, I thought it was just that much more believable that he and I had something that just wouldn't die...but truth be told, it hurts more now than it ever has before. _

She could hardly recognize the room, every thing seemed blurry or faded.

_I just want to wake up. _

A door creaks and her eyes drop closed, causing tears to trickle down her heated cheeks.

Never had she run from a dream before, so she wasn't keen on how to escape this one fast enough. She assumed she should just naturally fell asleep but nothing happened as quickly as she wanted it to.

So, she just lay there expecting to be revived into her miserable existence.

The wind wafted from behind her and the bed sunk slightly with the weight of something or someone.

_This was cruel...even for a dream...or a nightmare..._

Her lips trembled and she felt like she'd scream but fisted the sheets instead. Trying to keep her composure but she wasn't sure she had any to began with.

She felt fingers in her hair, fingertips rubbing my scalp, caressing her tenderly.

Her chest felt sore, heart felt burned through.

She never felt a feeling of hatred so strong for any dream.

She grips the sheets tighter.

"Anata...Okimasu"(_Dear...wake up)_ he said in a husk low, voice so familiar, voice so gentle and yet she could hear the undertones of impatience but he did not shake her to wake her.

She knew she shouldn't have but twisted around, to face him.

_Never had I been strong enough to just let this moment slip away. Real...not real, I'd hurt herself time and time again if I could just leer into those eyes._

This time, was different..

_Mmmh?_

The young man kneeling at the bedside was stunningly attractive in a way that most women would agree on but there was something in his eyes that would probably scare away the exact same women.

The depth of pain, anger and danger seemed to manifest within those blood red iris of his but it didn't scare her. In fact, it captivated her, she looked into that window and Sakura peered into the deeper meaning of the stare he was giving her.

"Itachi, your soul is wanted back in hells kitchen!" Ino calls from down stairs. He ignores her.

He reached out and with the back of his hand wiped away her tears, his hard knuckles brushed at her wet face.

"It's really me...I told you, I would find you.." he said cockily, barely above a whisper.

Tears continued to run wild. She gritted her teeth and withdrew her face from his haunting fingers, immediately feeling the cold wetness of her sorrow soaking her cheek.

"Don't.." she hissed at him, frantically. Stumbling out of the bed, she fell into the wall. A light layer of hair blinded her eyes. Chest puffing quickly out in front of her, she pointed at him. "Stay the hell away from me...please...!" she shouted trying to keep a cry from exploding through her chest, she could barely breathe and she knew she was at that point. The breaking point of no return.

_In a dream of all places._

He stood up slowly, as if he was dealing with a cornered wolf instead of a frail woman. A perplexed look on his otherwise calm face. His deep brows were raised. His thick mane of hair cascading down his back. There were lines of sleepless nights marked under his eyes. A red tint of insomnia colored his eyelids.

He laughed suddenly, staring at her bare legs, the ghost of a smile remained on his face.

"It's you...leg's and all..." he said, his eyes intruding her being remorselessly.

Sakura closed her eyes and raised her head to the sky.

_Please don't...do this to me..._

"Look at me..." he demanded softly.

_"I have...I always do but I can't take this, you're tearing me apart!" she answered hoarsely._

_"Then let me be close enough...to...put you back together."_

She couldn't stop him, for a dream persistence wasn't even a word. He came towards her but it had been her who closed the distance between both of them.

She assumed that this would be the point where she woke up but the moment she jumped into his arms, she realized, it wasn't a dream.

He never gets to brace himself and the petite women crashes into him knocking them both back into the wall, grabbing a fist full of his shirt and burring her face into his shoulder because she's managed to nearly jump over his shoulder.

Itachi laughs sadly and she can hear a tremor to his laughter which makes her cry even more as she clings onto him.

Sakura's feet are no where on the ground and Itachi is hugging her stomach, his face buried into it, his back against the wall.

_This is real..._

"It's you?" she choked out, between a cry. Itachi allows her to slip down him back onto the ground and then cups her small face in his calloused war torn fingers, thumbs slipping over her tears.

Both their breathing harsh.

"...all of this...could never be captured in a dream.."he teased in a low voice encrypted with his usual conceited humor. His eyes were glossy, Sakura reached her hands up to his face and rubbed a finger over his thick damp lashes and then rubbed down his hard jaw, slipping her fingers into the start of his hair.

He closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his perfect nostrils.

"I can't believe this.." She whispered, watching his face. He opened his eyes slowly and placed his forehead against her's, his arms wrapped over her's and he hugged her to him tightly.

"I've looked all over for you...Sakura...I even went to your fathers house..." he whispered, breath cooling her heated scalp as he kissed the top of her head and then picked her up in his arms without even the slightest struggle or indication that he would and spun her around twice.

"...dreams...are a ton of shit compared to this feeling...holding you..." he whispered, his voice seemed to surround her with it's safety, it's comfort, security.

Sakura was simply a speechless women for the first time in her life. Itachi's fingers slid from cupping her cheek to her throat and then he yanked softly at the charm on her neck quietly.

"You didn't lose it."

"I never took it off...remember.."

_Maybe once..but that will never happen again.._

"O. M. G...Sakura why are you crying... Itachi...what did you do to her?!...ANSWERS PEOPLE?!"

Itachi and Sakura guiltily froze, broken away from their world. Ino appeared in the doorway with a gaping Mikoto, her eyes wide and another plate plummeted to it's demise.

Mikoto gasp.

"...this...is _**your**_ Sakura?" she asked her son, pointing into the room at Sakura.

"His..?" Ino echoed in confusion with a fixed frown.

"Mine." Itachi stated looking down into her eyes he hugged Sakura against him as though she were a major artery.


	25. Up To Speed

"I've missed you so much.."

His whispers were gentle and tender even though there was no need to whisper.

_We're alone now._

_Alone, I have you to myself and I don't even know what to do...what to say, how to say anything...this is not a sheet of paper where I can just write whatever comes to mind down._

_The truth is, I'm not impressive and interesting. Everyone thinks I have a stick up my ass...everyone thinks I'm uptight._

_I'm scared that what we had on paper won't grow in person. You'll stray, you'll see what everyone else see's an-_

He grabbed her chin too suddenly and made her look up at him. He was frowning with those perceptive and captivating eyes.

Sakura stared into them, surprised by how insightful and sharp they looked.

"...there's something on your mind, get it out of there..." he said to her poking her forehead.

Sakura shivered feeling Hiko's fur brushing up against her ankle. She broke from his hold to look down to where the cat stood, tail raised high, nose assaulting the new aura, _Itachi._

"This must be the incredibly lazy shag-cat."

Itachi smiled a little and knelt down to capture a very alarmed Hiko. Sakura was worried for his safety for a moment because Hiko may not look like it but he was a ruthless scratcher and attacked remorselessly.

Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled at the nick name, 'shag-cat'.

She remembered sending a picture of Hiko's parents to Itachi when her father hadn't decided to let the pound nab them.

Hiko's parents were a breed of cats with a shaggy mane, that covered every inch of bone in them, eyes veiled behind a tough layer of silk. Itachi always joked about how they resembled midget 'cousin it's' from some television show he used to watch as a kid.

Sakura never understood the reference but the phrase, 'shag-cat' had always made her giggle a little.

Hiko hissed with discomfort as Itachi secured him in his arms but once it was clear that his intentions were only to spoil him with a good rub around the ears and under the throat the cat simmered down loyally, rubbing it's tiny face against Itachi's chest. Coaxing him to rub him down thoroughly with those big blue eyes. He begged and purred and Itachi obliged staring around Sakura's apartment with distant eyes before finding her eyes again.

"Hm, what's it going to take..?"

"For what?"

"For you to stop being nervous around me...you look scared to death...and I can't figure out why."

He walked past her still holding Hiko and found a seat in the living room on the love seat. He plopped down and slouched and then nudged his head for her to join.

Sakura was deterred for a moment.

_He's right, what the hell is wrong with me...I have so many things to say, to ask but they're all too fresh in my mind and all of them want to be answered right away and then, there's what my body wants to do, I want to jump on him and no, not for sex, I want to cuddle and taste his lips and feel his presence and devour everything about him...but I can't, I can't let myself go crazy...I'm an adult, I'm older and I've changed. Maybe the old me would have fallen into pieces and smothered him but I'm a precautions women and restraint is my number one trait. I can't just dog the guy...I just can't keep bursting into tears and thinking about how much it hurts that I'm starving myself from doing what I really want to do. _

_I just want him to hold me, forever. I just want those arms around me for as long as they would stay, keeping me loved. keeping me happy._

She sighed.

_Man, do I have to keep it together. _

"It seems your skin is still in one piece, congratulations, you were not scratching post material." She informed him sitting on the far side beside him. She watched him release Hiko onto the floor, the small cat whined out loud and refused to retaliate, he nudged his nose at Itachi's knee after crawling halfway up his leg.

Itachi placed his palm over the small kittens face.

"hm...at least someone wants me..." He lulled back onto the sofa and turned his eyes on her. She smiled nervously, cheeks itching of embarrassment and reached up to toil with the charm tickling her throat.

_Did this thing get heavier...it feels like a pound of meat.._

"I'm sorry...this is all very crazy to me and don't get me wrong, I'm happy...very happy, I just..I just don't want to disappoint you."

He furrowed his dark brows and let out a thoughtful breath. His eyes closed briefly and his fingers slid across the distance on the sofa to touch her knee. He stared at her legs and smirked.

"They're even more taunting in person." He joked. Sakura looked down at her legs as well and grinned tightly.

_haha, he remembers that stupid picture. _

"You remember."

"Had to, I figured if I were going to try to find you anything would help and if I had to scour the legs of every women in town just to get a good look, I'm glad I'd know what I'm looking for."

Sakura laughed against her own will and watched his eyes run lower down her legs as he moved closer to her. Hiko stepped hesitantly over a USB on the floor and stared up with his patient googoo eyes, the one's that usually meant that he'd wait until you acknowledged that he wanted your attention.

_Poor Itachi, Hiko is in it for the long haul...why do I feel like my cat?_

"For instance..." his face was suddenly close to her's and his fingers were like melting honey causing the blood beneath the skin of her thigh to rise towards it.

His touch was so, so abnormal to her flesh, unlike any touch she had ever felt. It was very smooth and deft, expert and purely a touch that was made only for her to feel.

She could tell he was right, she was nervous but she couldn't break it out of her, she couldn't just turn that switch off and be who she was in the letters because that person had died a long time ago.

_I don't know if I'm her, I don't know if I can be her._

She slipped on the cushion of the sofa as he pulled up one of her legs, rubbing his luke warm fingers down her thigh, somewhere in between he began to rub his thumb over a very tender spot that seemed to maximize the sensitivity.

"Scar.."

His thumb ran over it gently.

He smiled and so did she.

"Are you kidding me that's pretty creepy..."

He shook his head with indifference.

"This is all your doing." he accused. "..if you would've just given me a simple little picture...even a blurry one would have sufficed, I wouldn't be molesting your legs right now."

Sakura chuckled, forehead brushed up against his, she winced against the sun's leering gaze setting in the open window behind them.

"What happened there?"

"I got burned...when I was five, it was...the first time my parents left me home. I was hungry, tried to mimic mom and make me a grilled cheese. The frying pan fell...and ta-da fear of cooking."

She answered him, the memory seemed to draw back those desolate times when she would sit out on the front porch and watch packs of children from school walking past her home to the park or swinging back and fourth in their parents hold.

_Seems like too long ago I was a child...a lonely little girl dreaming about being rescued from the porch. I don't know why I just didn't rescue myself, walk to the park...they wouldn't have played with me, even if I did._

His thumb stopped caressing her and then he continued the journey down the stream of her leg, pulling it up onto the chair and over his lap, causing sakura to twist slightly to accommodate his demands.

"This is getting weirder and weirder..." she murdered.

Itachi smirked, his eyes thoroughly getting an eye full.

"You have only yourself to thank for that...and besides I'm just getting started."

Sakura tensed up at that comment and watcehed his long dark hair fall over his face as he leaned forward and began to undo her sandals. She swallowed hard.

_What the hell is he..he doing.._

"Your father said you didn't want to see me.."

She nearly choked mid swallow.

"WHAT!"

He smirked at the rise of her voice and how fiery she suddenly was.

"He also said that you had moved on in your career and were a successful doctor in Konoha. It was the best news since I had arrived here that you were doing ok. That was all I wanted to know, all I cared about. When he told me you didn-"

"...but I never said tha-"

"I know, I know but I understand why he said it."

"I know why, he wants me to be miserable just like him."

Itachi shrugged.

"Maybe he thinks I'm no good for you."

"Who cares what he thinks, every father all over the world doesn't think any guy is good for their daughter...leave it up to my dad to get hung up over it..."

Itachi chuckled with a vacant stare and pulled up her other leg over his lap and began to undo that one as well.

Sakura watched him for a moment wrestle with the strap before he finally peeled off her sandal and let it fall onto the ground.

"Why're you stripping me?" She asked quizzically, head tilted on the arm of the chair, pink short bangs swooping to the right side of her face.

"I'm breaking the ice."

Sakura stared at the ceiling and furrowed a brow in bewilderment.

"I'm not nervous anymore.."

"You can touch me too if you think that I'm being unfair."

Her skin turned crimson and she watched him sit up straight again, the long wisps of his dark bangs hung over his face and obscured his passionate eyes.

Sakura reached out a hand and pushed his hair out of his face.

"Are you happy now, I touched you."

He grinned wolfishly and she allowed his bangs to veil him again.

"I'm disappointed, all of that shit talking and nothing to show for." he teased.

Sakura only rolled her eyes.

"I was a teenager, shit talking was second nature."

"That's bullshit, women talk shit all the time."

"Is that what you like?"

"Maybe a sassy mouth makes me weak in the balls from time to time."

Sakura spit out a laugh that made her stomach coil and Itachi watched her until she died down, clearing her throat and looking away from him again.

She stared out of the window behind them.

"You haven't changed...from the letters..."

"Us conceited folk never do...it defeats the purpose, being me is a habit I can't seem to break.."

She felt warm and bubbly. She turned her head slightly and saw that he was staring at her, well, staring wasn't the word.

_It's more like studying...does that even make any sense?_

"What?...is there a thingy in my nose?"

He shook his head.

"I'm glad you didn't do it."

"Do what?"

"Give me a picture...because I would've gone crazy." with a face of rapt fascination in those eyes that the sunset seemed to touch just the right way, Sakura fell into a calm that she had never felt before.

Everything was too still and silent in her house, no phone rang, no cat's meow, time seemed to stand still for a moment and Itachi's eyes looked like a glass of ripe blood beneath the suns gaze.

"...because there is no way that I could hope no guy was looking at you, wanting you the way I did-I do, I would have lost my mind thinking I had lost you before I even had the chance to have you and where I was, that wouldn't have done me any good to think of the problems of a mundane boy. I was in the fight of my life...and for so long I was fighting a part of me that thought I would wilt away. I didn't care what happened to me and the only reason I fought as little as I did was because people relied on me, they looked to me when there was no general...no higher knowledge and just because I didn't see purpose in my life doesn't mean that I had to drag them all to hell with me. So, I tried, to be a leader but the problem with being a leader is you have to know the people you're leading and trust that you can be successful, keep them alive and well. My hope, was false...until I began to receive a few random letters once we attached on to Center Brigade."

Itachi rested his head back on the cushion of the top of the chair and absentmindedly ran his fingers up her leg and then back down. It felt like she was laying in a bath of feathers and hot milk.

_How do your fingers keep doing that...it feels-nice, Itachi.._

He smiled vacantly at his story and continued.

"At first getting letters seemed like a waste of fuckin time, for one, none of the guys really gave a shit...they used the papers to wipe their ass or to doodle on. I adapted that mindset, words didn't encourage me and I wasn't interested in someone telling me that they'd pray for me or that god would keep me save. I had seen so many people die...right in front of me, I had-"

he bit his lip a little and rolled his eyes close.

"...you don't know what it's like to see someone breathing one moment, alive...a person with family, dreams and shit...and then suddenly they're just gone, live-less like that.." he snapped.

"I don't...but it must've been...horrible."

"I got used to it, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to just stumble over someones body or steal their clothes and weapons a-"

He too a deep breath and his eyes opened slowly.

"Before I ever got your letter, I read a few but they were from children and my mom, she wrote me just as much as you did..."

"Your mom, whom, I thought had passed along with your father."

She said accusingly despite trying not to, he looked at her for a long moment.

"My father is dead and my mother...I thought she died along with him in the car. They reported two bodies.."

"My gosh and they relied this info to you right before you were going...that's royally fucked up.."

"I was fucked up for awhile...it was hard but I was already knee deep in this shit and there was nothing else that I could lose so why not..."

Sakura couldn't help but feel even more sympathetic for Itachi.

_He was dealt something very cruel at a time in his life where there was no telling where he would end up. To hear horrible new and immerse yourself into an even more horrible situation is something that not many people can do...I would've shattered but he managed to be strong in a time of grief. I can't believe how strong you are.._

Sakura found herself leaning forward towards him. He looked down at her fingers and picked them up in his, he held it up in front of both their eyes and then laced them tightly, he dropped their hands over her legs and closed his eyes.

"She wrote me once she had found out which brigade I was listed under. She explained that she was alive and well but my father had been torn apart by the collision...the passenger was just one of his business women. I think I wrote about this to you.."

He looked over at her and Sakura's eyes grew wide.

_You probably did but thanks to my father I never got to read it..._

"..you stopped writing me, if you only knew all of the crazy thin-"

"Tell me."

He grinned.

"Thought you got married, that you died, that you lost interest, that you hated me...you got knocked up by some fucker who was better looking...you got drafted to Suna. I would never hope that any women got drafted to the war zone. Men were desperate...when the women started to arrive things got crazy."

"Crazy like...?"

"Like people fucking all the time...more deaths and the women were the target." He squeezed her hand tightly and she squeezed back, he brought their fingers to his lips and pressed his lips on the back of her knuckles.

"After awhile I just thought you gave up on us...life goes on." he murmured against her knuckles, his silky bangs brushed her wrist and awakened a tremor in her chest.

He turned over her hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist and his nose pressed against her flesh and he breathed her in.

"Not for me.." was all she whispered.

They began to talk once more, Sakura wasn't sure how long it was but about time Itachi stood up to leave her feet had fallen asleep and she could hear the crickets outside of the window. The house was dark and neither of them turned on the lights to disturb the mood.

Itachi stood still in front of the chair and watched her rise, just as Sakura looked up from sticking her feet back into her sandals Itachi gripped her face and her heartbeat began to _thud_ deafeningly on the cage of her ribs.

Her breath became uneven and she stared into his dark eyes, straining to see past the darkness but it was just too deep.

The heat of his breath grazed her nose and then touched her lip just as his lips grazed her's and she watched his eyes close and his breathing intensify.

"Don't be afraid..." he said huskily in the gentlest voice so breath ridden and genuine.

"For the last time, I'm not afraid." She informed him breathlessly.

He scoffed.

"C'mon...you're terrified of me, like I'm Lucifer or something...all I want is a little taste..." he smirked against her.

"You're over exaggerating we just talked for six hours without anything to eat or drink...I wouldn't talk to Lucifer or something...like tha-"

She didn't see it coming in the dark, she only felt his lips when they parted and grazed her bottom lip just slightly. In this way that tickled the back of her neck and made her body sway.

It advanced very gradually really, that first kiss. From something very tender and innocent to something very desperate and longing.

He paused after the first stroke savoring her taste and stifling his impulse to indulge in more without becoming impatient but the next stroke held a hunger like no other.

He did it again, forehead and hair sliding against one another. Mouths mutually interested. He tilted his head once she hadn't stopped it and deepened it, making sure the corners of his lips touched hers.

Sakura's breath crashed into his ears making him loose all control he had worked up for the past six hours.

Her moaning was very seductive and try as he might he couldn't find a bone in his body that could resist this women who began to coax him softly. Her fingers weaving through his hair, her body rocking against his like a delicious wave of thunder.

"Mada aishiteru..." She whispered in a way that seemed to eat him alive because there was a deep amount of sadness that coated her voice and made her vulnerable.

His hands were on the small of her back beneath the thin material of her blouse. Her skin was volcanic beneath his fingers, he ran the tips of his fingers yearningly over that area and then pulled her into his arms. Embracing her into his heavy caring arms. Sakura gasped with shock for a moment but then closed her eyes listening to the hard throb of his chest.

"I love you..like I've never loved anyone on this earth. I was scared to admit that before...I didn't even want to, love and me...we don't necessarily go hand and hand but every time I think about what my life would have been like if I hadn't gotten those letters from you...I realize that I would have been a very dead son of a bitch because I had nothing and now, I have everything..."

_uh...that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard someone say to me._

Sakura couldn't contain her smile, she sighed against him and tugged at his shirt that she was fisting.

"Hm..."

"Cut it out with the gushy stuff...you know I can't compete..."

He made a laugh that sounded like a scoff.

"It's not a competition babe, I completely blew your ass out of the water."

Sakura laughed.

"Spend the night?..."

"Of course, since you're begging."

"Begging, pul-eeze...you just don't want to go back to Ino and Mikoto's grilling."

"Not at all, didn't I tell you I would torment you when I got the chance."

"On second thought, it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Run."

"WHAT?...I'm definitely not running in the dark."

"Fine it just makes it easier what I'm about to do to you..."

"What you're ab-"

"I'll give you ten seconds...kay, ten."

"Seriously..."

"Nine."

"I'm not about to play a stupid game I'm a grown ass women."

"Eight."

"Well, let go of me if you expect me to run!"

"Seven."

"I can't believe you're doing this."

"Two."

"What the hell happened to six, five, four and three...you cheater!"

"One."

Despite her efforts to remain careless she fought to get out of his arms and ran for the bedroom door, if Itachi was pursuing her she couldn't tell and then suddenly she heard her doorbell gong just as her phone went off in her back pocket.

"I've got it." He was right behind her, she jolted up straight nearly screaming at his proximity.

"You were dead meat." He muttered, she could see his sharp teeth flashing as he walked backwards towards the door.

She smiled from cheek to cheek and began to walk behind him, clutching onto his shirt tail for guidance.

The door opened a bit too soon and she nearly screamed at the person standing on her welcome mat with a look of pure rage.

"Itachi, you mother fucker!"

And just like that a fight ensued.


	26. Show Down, Throw Down

**A/N- :D so I'm excited about Itachi and I'm glad to see that you guys are too! Thank you for reading and your reviews. I'll calm down on the cliffies I do tend to be dramatic with that. Sowwwwwie 0_0! Enojoy!**

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"CUT IT OUT...STOP IT!"

"You son of a bitch I told you!-to stay away, from my daughter!"

"DAD STOP IT!"

Sakura ran behind the fray and clutched at her fathers blazer. With all her might she tried to muster enough energy to pry him off Itachi but for an old man he still owned the amount of strength to surpass his daughter.

Itachi didn't seem to be fighting back and Sakura knew he was only doing it for her sake. Instead Itachi was dodging his attacks with simple gestures, backing off and countering her fathers fist with his forearm.

"..but I did, your daughter won't stay away from me...maybe it's a family trait because neither can you." was all Itachi said to her father with a little laugh which ignited the hatred in her father even more.

Sakura rolled her eyes and restrained her father by the wrist, using her body weight to lean back like a child trying to drag their parent into the toy aisle behind them.

"What the hell is your problem, how did you even-MY GOD DAD...were you, were you following him!"

"This isn't about me, it's about respect and Itachi and I had an understanding that he wouldn't go after you...how I ever let myself stoop as low to take the word of this treacherous fiend is beyond me but the fact is, now, the deal is broken."

_Deal?..._

"Don't come into my house calling him names, he's done nothing to you and he's been there for me more than anyone...more than you!"

Her father was a tall man with a regal demeanor, his eyes were like whips and he possessed the features of a stiff. He yanked his wrists from her hold, knocking her back slightly and began to adjust his tie and fix up his rumpled appearance, his eyes never fled the face of Itachi and Itachi stared back for a moment before his eyes drifted to Sakura minutely.

"You speak as if you know this man, who the hell he really is!"

"I do!" Sakura shot at him, her fingers curling into fist, she felt something fierce creeping into her bones and she tried to shake it off.

She knew her father was being irrational and that things shouldn't even be getting this far. To attack Itachi was something she wouldn't expect from him in a thousand years...no matter how much he hated someone he was always well reserved, he'd probably attack him in a business manner before approaching him up front.

He was smiling and looking at Itachi and he laughed for the longest moment, shaking his head with disdain.

"You've fooled me...daughter of mine, here I was thinking you've grown into a smart women, Sakura, you are just as much as a child as you were back then...men are mongrel and you were fine without them, you don't need some sleaze pouring out lies to you to be a successful women. You only need yourself, there is nothing wrong with independence...I am truly regretful for not being there in your younger years...maybe if I instilled greater discipline you would have turned out to be better than this." He tossed his hands towards Itachi.

Sakura frowned.

"Get out of my house.." She spoke softly to him.

Her father only stared at her with those sharp, cold, disbelieving eyes of his.

"He's not who you think he is, I'v-"

"I don't care, get out!"

She screamed at him, body trembling with rage for her father, rage because she was both ashamed and angry that he was behaving like one of those parents. One of those parents who sought to destroy their children's lives at all cost.

She wanted to hurt him like he was hurting her, all of those insults he was shooting at Itachi-at herself, after all of the times he had broken her down with his tough tactics...Itachi was the man who built her back up, listened to her vent about how empty her life was.

Made her full again...the only light through the cracks of her life.

_He has some nerve barging in here like he cares more than you..like he knows you better than I do..._

Her father only stared at Itachi with a murderous leer as if he were contemplating another assault with the intent to do bodily harm.

Sakura had never seen him look this way about anything and it bothered her that he could care for her now and think that he was protecting her.

_From what..._

"You may have won the battle...but the war, the war is going to tear you limb...by...limb."

"GET. OUT.." Sakura enunciated clearly and harder than she could have ever pegged her voice to go. She stormed off towards the front door that her father had literally lurched from a few moments ago and wrenched it open.

"What do you want from my daughter...is it money...I'm sure we can negotiate, if it means that you'll get the hell out of Konohagkure."

"You are way out of li-" Sakura began but Itachi held up a hand towards her and advanced towards her father with a single step, his fingers in his pockets.

"Money...that might be nice..." he said quietly with a small smirk, his eyes seemed vacant. "...Mr. Haruno, with elder respect, I don't think what's between your daughter and I is any of your business...but since you insist on knowing my intentions and I just can't stand to watch you behave like a pathetic fool in front of your only child I guess I'll let you in on my diabolical plan." he said making the quotation mark gesture around the word 'diabolical'.

Sakura gawked in suspense awaiting the action and the reaction.

_Is this really going to be how I remember meeting him, my crazy father trying to kill him on my doorstep.._

"I already have what I want from Sakura, I have her heart, her laugher...and her trust...cheesy right and pretty damn cheap but it took me awhile to get it and no amount of money is going to make me trade it in or forget it. You've lived with her all her life and you've never tried to earn those things..." He laughed without much humor. "...I used to envy you...being so close, right near her and choosing to abandon her in her time of need...if I could have traded shoes with you, in a heart beat, I'd steal your soul to be by her side..."

"...what kind of a man who claims to love his daughter leaves her, I feel sorry for you because you've missed out on a great women who has more strength in her pinky than you do in your entire fuckin body. It's sad really how much she loved you even though you were never there for her...and then I came along and I stole that away from you and now you are expecting me to just leave because your threatening to expose some truth about me, well, if you know anything she doesn't...please tell her, break her heart...again." he nudged his head in Sakura's direction.

Sakura's father stared at her for a moment and then back at Itachi where he stood his ground, like some type of dark angel drunk on power.

Sakura had never seen anyone look so confident and dangerous without any weapon at all.

Her father made a gruff sound in his throat and then touched placed a hand over his heart and began to cough. Itachi stared at him callously. her father pulled out a white handkerchief and placed it over his mouth, his body convulsed harshly for several minutes before he swallowed and wiped his mouth.

"We are not finished.." he choked out and turned away from Itachi and began to head towards the door once he was near Sakura and the hall lights touched his face she could see that a bead of blood was spiraling down his nose.

Her heart beat sprang to a lurch and she suddenly felt a bit retched for yelling at him but something in her caused her to ignore it.

_He had no right!...no matter how sick he is..._

He stared at her for a moment with an overwhelming amount of disappointment in his eyes and then walked out. Sakura swallowed back the lump in her throat and closed the door behind him.

She felt like a child again, where there was nothing she could do to make her father happy to see that smile of approval she was always aching to see.

As a child she loved his praise, she loved him more than she realized and when they started to grow apart it felt as though he was sick of her, like he didn't love her.

_We used to have so much fun...what happened...what happened to tha-_

She punched the door fitfully and her knuckles stung as if she had sliced them open with a dagger of jagged ice, she did it again and again until a pair of tough warm hands clutched her fist and a heavy muscular frame pressed up against her from behind and hugged her. He still held her fist, he had her positioned where she too was giving herself a hug.

She trembled beneath him and began to cry and he held her tightly like she always dreamed that he would.

"C-can you...turn on the lights?" She asked him.

He was silent for a moment and his grip on her loosened.

"Where are they?"

"Over there.." She pointed towards the kitchen and Itachi touched her arm and sighed.

"I can't see."

Sakura sniffled and laughed a little despite herself.

"I know that's why we need the lights.."

"No, Sakura, I can't see right now..._I can't see_.." he whispered, gripping her fingers tightly.

She froze, realizing the depth and weight of such a common sentence.

_I can't see._


	27. Closer

**A/N- THANK YOU ALL! For reading and your comments. I read them all. Yes I uploaded this story once before but I've changed so much about it. It's not the same piece but it's very similar. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter as it was somewhat of a fluffy tease and than it's back to business. :D have a great weekend!**

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"...Temper...temper...but, I've godda say...watching you pound that wall-sexiest act of violence I've seen in awhile..."

Sakura snorted out a laugh and then sucked in a long hiss of breath.

She flinched each time Itachi grazed her knuckles in the slightest way with a cube of unthawing ice.

The cold drizzle of ice trickled down her arm and into a warm pool beneath her shoulder.

She shuddered and watched his fingers flex with tight cords of veins as he carefully eased the burning ice in between a dip in her knuckles. Her lips twitched and she would have probably lipped a scream had not she noticed his eyes peering deeply into hers.

She stared back, wondering if he could read her eyes as well as she could read his but he broke their gaze too soon. An indecisive curve fell on his lips and he pressed the ice hard against her.

she gasped felling the searing cold numb the broken skin raw on her knuckles.

"Dammit!" she seethed hoarsely, tossing her free hand over her face to hide whatever disgusting scowl of pain she was probably modeling.

She always felt that beauty wasn't a pose she could just continuously whip out on a whim. She was that person who took one hundred pictures and always found something appalling about every one.

She watched him pull her hand up to his lips and began to blow his warm breath over her scarred flesh.

Breathing harshly she watched his face carefully, lips closed in on the scar and just the heat alone she felt from him was enough to send her heart into a frenzy of sorts.

Every moment felt deliciously unbelievable and unforgettable.

_Finally..._

She never wanted to misplace the concern of his hard jaw. The way his hair fell in perfect disarray to obscure his mysterious eyes. Those strong cords of veins intricately thriving beneath the skin of his hand. They seem to sprang into existence prominently with every flex.

"You expect me to believe you can't see right now...because...you're really hitting the pain...without fail.."

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm completely rendered useless...it just means learning to live by what you can't see; smell, taste, hearing...touch."

He uttered and she felt his fingertips graze her thigh.

"My vision...it comes and goes I've had to learn, how to adapt without it." he informed her. "..the first time it left me, I was sure that would be the end. It's common in my family, my mother calls it a curse."

"Does she know, about your sight?"

He shook his head grimly. "I could never tell her what good is it for her to worry, I've put her through enough and besides I don't believe in shitty superstitions."

"What do you believe then, uh, smart disbelieving guy?" She teased with a raised brow, watching him break from blowing at her knuckles.

He smirked, his wine colored eyes hazed by a cloud of profound darkness, so dark she could see her expression of pity reflecting in them.

_It just doesn't seem fair...I can't even imagine what it must be like. Not knowing if you'll every see a sunset again...or even the people around you._

Sakura sat up on her springy bed. Her small top bun bounced around on top her head and made her feel like a little girl sporting pig tails. She would have been embarrassed, if he could see her.

Itachi was seated on the edge of the bed. He leaned over, body halfway over her thighs, elbow resting at her hip. His face had been so close to her breast she was scared to breathe to a certain extent.

She felt smothering someone with her boobs wasn't the brightest idea for her at this ungodly hour.

"I believe..." he says softly.

"You believe?" she urged, daring herself to reach out to touch his upturned lips but something in her felt like that would be too eager. So she simply fidgeted with the charm on her neck, fighting every piece of her crying out to touch all of him, to get lost in every particle of him and never part from it.

Her body trembled with the intimate thought.

_What the hell is wrong with me.._

His thick lashes obscured his eyes and he closed his eyes to ponder. The dim light of the room touched his eyes the moment he opened them and almost made it seem like flames were trapped inside. She became transfixed, unable to blink for moments at a time.

"...I believe nothing is a coincidence, everything is a plan...a natural order, like a play that we all have a part in and that even if we think we're the ones choosing the road we take...we're wrong. Sakura..."

He said softly touching the small rock of ice to her hot inner thigh. She took a deep breath.

"Yes."

"I never meant to come between you and your father.."

"Don't...don't you dare feed into his act of pretending he was there...you should know, I only had you. I had you and when you were gone I had no one. Maybe when I was a child I had a father but as I grew, I only had myself and you and when I lost you...it killed me."

"I-"

"Let me finish..." on instinct she reached out to place her finger over his lips, trying to swallow down the years of sorrow but it rang through her voice.

_Here he is...right in front of you. _

_All those years, all those tears. _

_Those letters you sent, those letters never sent. _

_Summertime at the mailbox. _

_Those days when your heart would ache so bad you would fall asleep to make yourself feel better. _

_You mourned him thinking he was dead, you searched for any traces of him..._

_You love this man, you love him so much it's a physical pain just to sit here and relax..._

_Just to sit here and pretend nothing hurts anymore. _

_Everything hurts, everything needs to be mended._

_I don't want to hurt. _

_I don't want to..._

"You will never know..." the anguish yanked at her heart and she tried to cram it back down. All those years of pain seemed to be fighting their way through her, memories seem cold in her mind.

"...how much I hated that you wouldn't write back to me. I know it was bad of me but I hated you, selfishly. I didn't know I could hate someone I loved so much but the feeling tore me apart..." She informed him through gritted teeth and wet eyes.

"I wanted you to be dead, at least that would explain why you weren't writing me. Sometimes I couldn't even cry. I isolated myself from everyone; my mom, my friends...I didn't want their pity, their concern. I just wanted you but I knew this was bigger than us...that you were never coming back to me even if I cried myself to death."

He closed his eyes and listened, rubbing the run down piece of ice between her legs. She shivered and closed her eyes feeling the tears run down her neck.

"This whole time, I thought you didn't love me, that you were dead but in reality...MY OWN FATHER...was sabotaging my life, destroying my world and just watching it kill me...every day I asked him and every day he told me nothing came for me. He looked in my eyes! He looked me in the eyes and said no baby...! NO!"

She exploded.

Something knotted and sliced away at her chest, she couldn't contain the cry.

Itachi caught her quickly.

"I know...I know..." he consoled her, his fingertips messing up her tiny bun, twisted up in every strand as he caressed her. If he hadn't been holding her so tightly she was afraid that she'd scatter into a million pieces.

Hugs came and went but this hug secured her in complete warmth and spice and Itachi.

This was something no words on this earth could convey, no picture could quite depict. It couldn't be decoded.

"...I'm here now..." he whispered, his lips buzzed in her ear. His arms pulling her into his lap as he would a small child.

"It's like a nightmare...like I'll wake up again and you'll be gone...gone forever and I don't know if I can take this again..."

He shushed her and rocked them back and fourth.

"I'm not a ghost Sakura...I'm not leaving you, I don't have the strength to walk away, I just got you...I just found my soul. For years I've been walking around like a blood thirsty demon with no purpose but now...I have redemption and I'd die before I gave that up...before I...let you go."

She laughed despite herself sniffled.

"Demon?"

He laughed a little.

"Ok...maybe a sexy, handsome, buff, smart, unstoppable demon with a good personality...better?"

"Much, sounds like a good Match. com profile."

"My father used to say...don't cry for what hasn't happen, smile for what will...so I won't think of what we've been through because since I found you...I can only think of the life I want with you. I'm not...perfect, I have blood on my hands, lives that I can't repay and things that these eyes have watched and seen. I have had nightmares of th-"

He paused and Sakura realized it must've been hard to talk about those days, those days where he couldn't write because it was too gruesome to explain. The friends he had lost, the lowest points he had ever experienced.

Being a soldier was something she could never imagine pulling off. They endured so much and got little in return. It was a selfless job, one that took a decent amount of mental power.

She untucked herself from his embrace and placed her hands on either side of his face. His fingers slid down to her slower back and she mounted him slowly, straddling him on the bed, knees buried deep.

She looked into his face and witnessed the look of pure horror.

"I'm not good for you...your father is right, there is something I have to tell y-"

She shook her head.

"No...please..."

Hovering over him on her knees, she lowered her face to his.

"...I want you...I want everything..."

_What the hell am I saying and doing...ok so maybe it wasn't that much of a mystery that I was telling him to pour his soul out into me. I wonder if he knew that?_

She didn't even feel like it was her talking and doing these things but she could feel his face in her palm, than his jaw, the material of his shirt wrinkling under her fingers eager fingertips.

Itachi sat beneath her with a seemingly empty stare, his lips gaped but only a low grunt pushed through.

"Sakura..." he said softly, breath pouring out of him dangerously. She noticed him tightening up at the feeling.

She swallowed and pressed herself firmly against his hard length, rolling her hips subtly.

_are we doing this? I think I'm guiding this ship tonight hehehe...I'm not drunk...I'm perfectly awake...perfectly happy..._

She leaned into him, tilting her head slowly. Giving him time to process that she was coming onto him albeit boldly.

"Kiss me.." she whispered to his lips, watching his blinded eyes find her lips, assuming he felt her breath.

She froze, her forehead touching the side of his face. She touched her tongue to his jaw, stroking it before pressing her lips to it.

He didn't fight her fisting a hand full of her hair, as if he were thinking, _'fuck it'._

He pulled her face down to meet his in a somewhat exhaustively drained kiss. She knew neither of them had been tired, they were simply on some kind of high that neither of them could break out of until that is, Itachi broke it.

Savagely he devoured every kiss she slurred out, his tongue melting in between her lips like honey. His lips sucking softly on hers and pulling her deeper into him. He was somewhat of an expert. Tongue stroking her own and causing a flutter to rise in her chest. He matched every roll of her hips with his own, making it hard to deny that he wasn't turned on since she could feel him thriving against her.

His fingers burning holes and scars into her delicate flesh. Fingertips digging to the bone of her spine. He slid his fingers deftly down her waist and his fingers squeezed at her backside hungrily. Her breath hitched and she could feel every sinew beneath his skin flex like iron.

His hold forcing her hips to rock against his bulge.

She felt dangerously close to coming the moment his breath touched her neck and his tongue and lips slid their way in small kisses to the start of her breast.

She almost felt as though she'd drool at how amazing every part of her body felt in that single moment.

It was honestly the best foreplay she could remember.

_What is he doing to me...ugh..just...do it, just do it...I can't take this.._

Every bite, every scratch, every squeeze hurt but a tantalizing feeling touched her spine and made her crave it more and more to the point of insanity.

Everything was a blur other than his lips and teeth making marks against her neck, his fingers working at the button on her pants and than neglecting them he simply slid his smooth diligent fingers inside.

She gaped and a whimper touched his ear the moment his fingers found her tender clit. Tremors of pleasure rocked her body as his fingers flickered gently over her and his mouth sucked deliciously at her throat, massaging her with his lips in a delicate way even though he wanted to get inside her and never come out.

The most intense part of everything is feeling his heart against hers, his breath in her ear, the vibration from his throat in the rear moment that he moaned against her. His hair like dozens of feathers sliding down her throat.

She couldn't describe the animalistic way both of them tried to dig into each other skin.

Only that it felt so good until he stopped.

He went ridgid the moment she reached beneath his shirt and felt the grainy long gash carved into his back. He caught her hand nearly tearing it off and she screamed, caught off guard by just how fractured her knuckles really were.

Itachi sat up quickly, tossing himself away from her, stumbling backwards.

"What the hell..." she gasped, clinging to her bloody fist.

"I'm sorry..." he said. "..this was a mistake."

"What?!"

"I need to go?"

"Where?!...you can't see..." she babbled quickly, afraid that maybe she had overstepped her boundaries by thinking that he would want to sleep with her that way. She expected things from him but what if he didn't want the things she expected.

What if he didn't want her.

The very thought of that scared her but she was sure she was over reacting.

Without even a word he began to walk away from her. She jumped out of the bed to follow him.

"Itachi...Itachi...reall?!"

"I'll see you again."

"Please don't do this whatever I did I'm sorry I wasn't trying to-I-I-JUST DON'T LEAVE!"

He froze in the hall for a moment.

He laughed but never turned to look at her.

"There's something I must do..."

"Right this very second?"

"I'll see you tomorrow..."

"If it's about the scar..."

He turned around and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'll visit you at work...but right now, is not good for us to try...that...I-I...just...not right now."

She sighed realizing she wouldn't get him on her side.

"Ok...I did get a little crazy...it's my fault."

"We have a lot that we want to share...I'm just afraid I have a little bit more than you..."

"What does that mean in English...exactly?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

He simply smiled after that and she watched him let himself out of her apartment. She wondered how things had gotten that crazy. One minute they were down each others throats and the next he was cold and distant, it felt like one person had come into her apartment but another person had left.

She stood in his wake with the feeling of that scar on her fingertips.

It was deep and...

she held up her fingers to her face and witnessed a dark stain there.

_It was fresh..._

"What...the hell.."


	28. Want you to want

**A/N- Hope you enjoy this is the last one for today! ^_^ YES it's a stupid cliffhanger but you won't be hanging for long. Tomorrow I'll update again.**

* * *

_Sakura, _

___anata ga hoshii_...(I want you)

_I guess you can say._

_It surprised me, my feelings. _

_I couldn't handle them_

_I wanted to crawl inside of you_

_Wanted to fuck the life out of you..._

_Fuck, no, that isn't the right word. _

_I wanted to love you until it fixed us,_

_made the pain go away. _

_The nasty memories vanish but I realize..._

_the past has a way of taking us down with it._

_No matter where we go...we think we escaped but _

_A monster is a monster even if it hides underneath pretty skin,_

_even if it thinks it deserves a second chance. _

_It's bound to be itself again... _

_Ps-I'll make it up to you, tonight, if you'll have me...maybe we can make each other forget.._

_I think I know your body better than you do..._

_-Itachi_

* * *

She stuffed the torn piece of paper she had found in the hall this morning into the pocket of her scrubs and fled the locker room of the hospital. She veered down the hall trying to avoid contact with a few of the nurses who lounged around awaiting another briefing. Her skin had been bruised severely from last night and she didn't feel like being questioned about it.

She realized that pain may have felt good yesterday but today it felt terrifyingly sore. She knew that Itachi was a passionate lover. Last night she lay awake coming to the conclusion that maybe he was ashamed of himself for losing control.

_He shouldn't be...I asked for it...I wanted it. _

Her eyes wandered over the nurses faces and gestures, she tried to eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about. So suddenly someone snatched her arm and patted the back of her hand. She jerked her head around and spotted Tenten clad in a purple and white threaded hello kitty scrub and white lab coat. There was a lolly pop stick protruding between her blood red lips and she began to hum a meddling tune.

Sakura furrowed a brow.

"Do I wanna know?" Sakura ventured to ask with a little smirk and a shake of her head.

"PERRRRRFECT." She purred like the worlds plumpest kitty and continued to beam with a dazed stare at the elevator.

"You fucked him.." Sakura guessed.

"NO!"

Sakura gasped, feigning surprise.

"Sorry I assu-"

"We fucked each other...he's just as good as I knew he'd be, that man, that man I cannot believe you let him get away." she sang, turning her nose up at her friend.

"I didn't let him get away, we just, didn't have chemistry."

"Sex doesn't require chemistry...only math."

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes.

_Typical. _

"You and Ino are always horny...you dirty little birdies.."

"You could learn a thing or two from the blond and brunette..miss Peachy keen...and Oh My Goodness what up with the hair.."

Sakura, self consciously began to rake down her bangs and fuss with her hair.

_I knew I should have mulled it over before I just dove vagina deep into this decision. _

"It's too short isn't it...I told Ino that colossal foreheads weren't meant to have this much freedom." The pink haired women pouted and began to yank at her pixie cut.

Tenten laughed and pried her friends hand from her hair.

"You look different, honestly, it fits you...I really like it..makes you look exotic and fun."

Sakura gave her a blink stare.

"So what you're saying is, I'm not exotic and fun?" Sakura pouted again.

Tenten laughed nervously.

"No-I...I mean...well, you know what I mean...okay, so maybe you can work on the fun a little more."

Sakura didn't bother to gasp, people have given her their opinion of her personality too many times and she realized that maybe she could afford to shift gears just a little.

For the entire adult half of her life she had been the women who spent hours at her kitchen table studying for a medic exam or trying to diagnose a patient with her elaborate research. Her life was work and she didn't remember a time when it wasn't, well, except for that one regretful night with a certain asshole but that shouldn't even be aloud to count.

_I was drunk and out of my ever loving mind..._

Day in and day out it seemed as though she did the same thing every day, ate the same food every day and the routine just came to her natural but change did not.

_Change is hard.._

Waking up this morning, she didn't move out of bed for at least twenty minutes staring at where the indention of Itachi's fame had been in her mattress. A dark strand of his hair was slightly curled on the pillow beside her. Once the realization and the thrill that she hadn't been waking up from a nightmare finally registered she started laughing and crying, she braced herself to jump up on the bed and do a little happy dance but realized with her luck she'd probably fall and lose a tooth.

She chuckled to herself and began to grin wildly.

"Are you okay?"

"Ya, why?"

"You look very...very...relaxed and...excited this morning, another one night stand?"

"No, of course not!"

"Than what, I wanna know...spill it!"

Sakura only shrugged and pressed the button seven once they were inside of the elevator.

"I just got in contact with someone I lost touch with...and I'm just still having a hard time believing it, it's really amazing...the timing is just...I can't even articulate ju-UH...I'm just really happy."

All she could do is smile and Tenten couldn't help but smile back.

"Awwww, that's so sweet...when do I get to meet em...it is..a him right?"

Sakura gave her a cold stare.

"Ok...so it's not a chick, so when do I meet this guy?"

"I don't know...maybe at lunch time today."

"Ohh, I may have to take a rain check on that one, I've got a patient who OD'd on some pretty strict narcotics..."

Sakura shook her head in disgust.

"That's smart..."

Tenten only nodded and tossed her arms back with a yawn.

"That's not even the half of it, she's the Kaze's sister...very pretty, blond, tall and crackhead status, for the life of me I dunno why she's poking around in Konoha."

"Beats the hell out of me Ten...who knows why anyone does anything EVER..."

Tenten laughed but Sakura paused as the elevator door opened slowly and she realized that the guards weren't there to greet her with their arms bared and their bored expressions.

Tenten peeked her head out of the door looking that way and this way.

"Um...security sure is slacking off lately."

"Maybe they're concerned with the prisoner, maybe he's showing signs of violence and they're trying to contain it...let's go." Sakura stepped out of the elevator and Tenten, like a younger sister clang to her wrist with a small laugh.

"Hopefully...do the lights usually flicker creepily up here?" She asked pointing at the line of rectangular hall lights that Sakura had never realized were there.

The seventh floor had always been dark and gloomy.

"Un...negative..." She said softly and somewhere along the line they went from a casual walk to a tedious and cautiousness tiptoe, nearing the room gradually.

They paused at the frame of the door and Tenten squeezed on Sakura's already bruised wrist.

"Ouch!" Sakura hissed at her.

"Whoopsies, the suspense is killin me..."

"There is no suspense I'm sure everything is just fine.."

"Then why haven't you walked through the door yet?"

_Good question.._

"Screw you..."

The dark haired women grinned and shoved Sakura, Sakura shoved her and Tenten stumbled into the frame of the door and instantly the smirk on her face disappeared and a moment later she began to scream hysterically, feet in motion as she threw herself backwards and fell to the ground. Even then she slid herself backward all the way towards the elevator.

"Ten...?" Sakura stared at her for a moment and then stepped in front of the door herself.

She nearly hurled on spot at both the sight and stench of raw rotting flesh. She clutched onto the charm around her neck and took a few steps back trying to fight the bile that rose in her gullet.

"Oh my god.."

The patient hadn't been there and all of the guards had been shredded and left cut open on display. Sakura pulled out her cell phone and walked towards Tenten.

"Are you...ok?" she asked.

Tenten took a deep breath and then another.

"What the fuck happened."

"I don't know...but I'm calling Kakashi right now..."


	29. Tragic

Sakura had watched enough CSI to know that she'd probably never understand all of the fancy things those tin boxes had to offer. The police and the investigation squad had already made their mark, yellow tape stretched well beyond it's boundaries and a city full of people out front screaming their heads off about terrorist running wild in the city.

* * *

_Are you and Ten alright, I'm watching the news...man I never get tired of seeing all of these angry riots. Do you see the guy with the doughnut hole hair OMG he looks a hot mess! BAHAHA_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_SMH -_- I'm not outside, are you crazy...and ya I see him from the front __desk__. Tsunade and the police are in the meeting room and guess who I might get to meet?_

_-Me_

_Who...is it the guy with the doughnut hole hair?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_e_e no, it's the hokage, he's coming here to address the situation both he and the Kaze, I can't believe how much work has changed in the last month in a half._

_-Me_

_You and me both...you and me both. So, hey, Itachi stayed the night yesterday?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_That's for me to know and you to never find out..:)_

_-Me_

_Mikoto said he didn't come back home so I foiled your guessing game. Your hooked on him like phonics so please don't try to play hard ball. Remember I know how hung up you are on him now, now that I know it's Itachi...small world huh?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Speaking of small world, remember that trip to the fair...you ran off with some random guy, who was that?_

_-Me_

_That's for me to know and you to never speak of again._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Are you cheating on Shikamaru?_

_-Me_

_Hmm...what's your whole taking on the cheating thing?_

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_I think it's a horrible thing, if you don't wanna be with someone just tell them so the both of you can stop wasting each others time...which hopefully, isn't the case with you and Shikamaru...right?_

_-Me_

_There you go again being judgy as usual._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_I'm not trying to be...I just can't believe you're fucking around..._

_-Me_

_I'm not fucking around, it just happened, it's not like I intentionally went out with the intent to be an infidel...Shikamaru and I we got into it at dinner...one thing led to the next and...I just couldn't stop it...but if your going to preach to me don't bother texting me back a __sermon__. I've never judged you about anything you've done so I don't want you making me feel more horrible than I already feel. It's driving me crazy...and my poor baby...my Shika, I don't know what to do._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_I'm not going to judge you...I'm tired of you calling me judgy. Look, I'm having lunch with Ita-kun at two, hopefully when this whole thing blows over I can come visit you and we can talk about it. Maybe you can help me understand and maybe I can help. Don't worry too much, it can be stressful for the baby._

_-Me_

_Ok Shikamaru Jr...he says that about everything. 'Don't yell, it can be stressful for the baby' lolz. I'm a fucking tramp..Sakura, what is wrong with me.._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

_Oh shut up, tramps don't feel guilty. Anyway I'll keep you posted on the situation here and if you need me just call me kay bitch?_

_-Me_

_Fo sho bitch._

_-Maddam Pigglet_

* * *

Sakura closed out of the text messages on her phone and then sighed gravely.

Never in a million years would she think that Ino would have actually gone and cheated on Shikamaru. Sure, she always entertained the idea and joked about it but doing it was an entirely different thing.

It was crazy to think about because Shikamaru loved Ino, as much as he claimed that she was the most bothersome of them all, Sakura could tell that he would be nothing without Ino constantly telling him he's lazy and pressuring him to do something more with his brain.

Shikamaru was a genius after all but too lazy to amount to much. He wanted an average life and an average family.

_Unfortunately he married Ino...who would never lay down and be an average wife...it wasn't in her blood to cook, clean and dust furniture. _

Sakura stared at her phone for a moment and began to stroke it thoughtfully. She began to hear a persistent whistling behind her and at first she ignored it but it seemed to get louder.

After a few minutes of it's potent buzz to her ear she turned in the direction of the whistling and spotted Sasuke lulling in the chair beside her. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

He was wearing a plain white T and a pair of faded jeans, legs apart, air around him poisoned with nicotine.

In his hand he held a blueberry muffin and in the other was a pink box in which they had probably came out of.

"Oh, it's just you...stalking me again..." she accused him, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning away from him.

He grinned and offered her the muffin, Sakura looked down at it for a moment and held it up near her lips.

"Don't sound so excited." He teased. "...how many of these muffins can you stuff into that pretty big mouth of yours without gagging?"

Sakura felt her blood sizzle but she only sighed and then trembled as a very vivid memory came back to her, one that she wasn't sure was real. Perhaps a memory of a day she thought she had forgotten.

_UGHH...but the muffin shouldn't be denied just because he's salty doesn't mean it is._

She bit on the muffin he held in front of her face absentmindedly, before snatching it out of his hands and feeding herself.

"Why are you here?" She asked, another image flickered through her brain and she tried to ignore the full throttle of her memory kicking the scene back at her as if to say, 'You slut, you've fucked his younger brother'.

"One of my whores, as you would say, are in the ICU.."

Sakura rolled her eyes and lulled back in her chair watching his jaw go hard as he began to chew on a muffin of his own, he stared out the window and his dark raven hair fell over his face when he looked down to read a text on his cellphone.

He licked at crumbs on his fingertips and she couldn't help but to watch him wolf down another bite. He ate like a predator, everything about him was like a predator and she felt she knew him enough to say as much.

"Tragic, what did you do?"

He smiled, biting his tongue, a small grunt rolled from his lips.

"Everything." was all he said in this deadpan voice and Sakura could see that from his appearance he looked spent. His eyes were red rimmed and his hair was a complete mess, in every direction. He licked his lips and flexed his fist before taking another bite.

He looked like a stray dog in that moment and Sakura found herself lost in this look of vulnerability. She stopped eating and watched him for the longest moment and he was so withdrawn from the earth that he didn't even notice that his phone began to rang or that her hand reached out to touch his knee.

She didn't know why she felt the impulse to be there for him but when he looked over at her, those dark eyes...low and sharp, thick lashes framing them.

They both trembled at the same time and then Sasuke quickly brushed her off.

"Enjoy the fucking muffin, that stupid bitch spent four dollars on it and she won't even be alive to taste it...what a waste." were the last words he said before he stood to his feet, phone in hand.

"Well nice to see that you're still a heartless asshole."

"What can I say bad habits die hard, you know me...no one gets in." he poked his forehead and twisted around to exit the waiting room.

Sakura watched him and noticed he still had that limp to him and it looked worse than the last time.

_I think it's time for that house call.._


	30. Bitter Taste

The moment she walked into her home she noticed the pattern of dim candle light dancing in a blaze of glory. They resembled flickering stars cast into the dark dark space inside of her apartment.

Somewhere a window lurked open, she could hear the song of crickets, distant car horns and the rain's peaceful deluge.

She froze, taken by both surprise and confusion. An aroma of spicy cologne wafted against her nostrils and she smiled.

"Uh...what's with people breaking into my apartment?" she wondered out loud taking a hesitant step forward and nearly falling on her face. She couldn't distinguish a thing in the thickness of the dark.

The candles didn't lend much light in helping her but determined she took another step.

"Itachi...uh...I'm officially scared...you may rescue me now."

She could smell his scent, taste it on her tongue but he didn't respond. She stumbled around in a blindly for several minutes before she took to a crawl. Patting her hands in front of her as to avoid knocking herself out or worse.

Usually Hiko would be her greeting committee the moment she walked into the house. The cat was always at her toes, spinning in circles around both her feet but tonight he seemed to have been in on whatever was going on.

"I don't like this game...I'm a sore loser..." she whined, knees digging into the floorboard as she crawled tiredly waving her hand out in front of her every so often.

"You're doing it all wrong..." a voice said softly to her. She wasn't sure which direction it came from, honestly it seemed to echo from every direction.

"Oh really...so you're telling me there's a method to crawling."

"When you're in the darkness, trying to connect with something alive...you don't see with your eyes, you see with your skin."

Sakura didn't respond, pondering herself what that could mean. She felt her brows tense up and she sat up on her knees.

"Our bodies can detect any climate...the cold, the heat, danger, pleasure, pressure, fear...you can't see any of those things but you can feel them. I want to see you come to me."

She laughed nervously, placing her fingers to her temples. If she ever imagined that one day she'd be kneeling on her apartment floor in the dark, she would have assumed it was a nightmare, not a game.

"Uh...seriously...what exactly are you planning."

He chuckled coldly.

"Find me...and I'll show you."

Just the sound of his dark voice made her spine wavy and something between her legs feel deliciously alive. It had been awhile since such a feeling overcame her, one of pleasure, an undeniable want that she knew she couldn't sedate herself.

"Like Marco Polo?" she inquired.

He chuckled.

"No.."

"...this isn't fair, I'm not good at being blind, I'm clumsy as it is when my eyes are open."

"Envision your apartment...feel the objects around you, can you feel me?"

_I'd like to.._

Sakura closed her eyes for whatever reason and crawled forward dubiously. She prayed nothing jutting out would puncture her forehead or any other piece of her. She couldn't afford to take a blow to her aching body but along the way of inching forward. She noticed she could sense when she was in danger of being too close to an object. She reached out a shaky hand and placed it against the leg of something.

Hard as a board, lengthy and decorated with intricate designs.

_The table leg..._

_Kitchen table leg._

She smirked, enthralled by her discovery. Sliding her fingers down the line of table until she reached the end she crawled past the kitchen. Using a memory in her mind to determine what came next.

_Living room..._

Her knees noticed the change from floorboard to carpet and than she felt it.

The warmth, the feeling of another human body, an overwhelming presence. She sat back on the heels of her white loafers and reached out a hand. Her fingers met the smooth surface of hot skin and silky hair.

"You can't see now...can you?"

He chuckled softly. His fingertips brushed her collar bone before he wrapped his long callous fingers around her neck.

Her blood froze for just a moment because for a mili-minute it felt like with one squeeze he'd snap her in half but he chose to guide her backwards slowly. Tipping her back until the back of her head knocked against the bare ground.

The ends of his hair tickled her lips and forehead.

He didn't remove his grip on her neck and because of that she remained clinched up tight in fear but not a single word came from her lips.

Sirans rang in the distance and she eased into this climate of night and peace.

It definitely had it's perks.

She couldn't see his face, he couldn't see hers, the look of pure horror and surprise pouring out of her.

"I see everything...close your eyes..."

She didn't see the sense in doing it, since it was dark either way but she went along with it out of curiosity. She wasn't able to keep herself from grinning, keep her heart from over reacting.

His fingertips crawled down her neck, barely touching her skin. She felt herself rising against his fingers praying for him to make contact. His fingers shied away from her rising body.

She felt her buttons coming undone, the sheer fabric of it brushing against her heated flesh. She let out a shaky breath and felt him yanking it away from her until she was bare, only her bra separating her from complete vulnerability.

She wasn't sure about his strange actions but laying beneath him she was caring less and less why he had turned off the lights, only that he should never turn them back on.

The moment his mouth melted like hot honey against her skin, she gasped and he worked his way down her ribs thoroughly invested in the finer details of her body. She felt her back arch unexpectedly and moaned.

_What. The. Fuck!_

She writhed beneath him trying to coil away from that dirty feeling crawling and claiming her body. Causing her to spiral to the edge. She lost her mind the more that she envisioned his lips on her, his tongue tracing her every bone and curve.

His hair enlightening every single follicle of skin.

It was all that she could do to remain calm and not mound and assault him.

He deserved it, to be tormented to the point of insanity.

He trailed down to the taut of her stomach, past her belly button, to the tender and raw skin of the most sensitive area.

She found herself fisting his head of hair.

"NONONONno." she called out breathily and not so convincing.

"Hai...hai...ha-" he whispered into her skin, teeth slipping down between her legs. Still clad in jeans she felt the undeniably hot wetness of his tongue sliding over her with a gentle pressure.

She tossed her arms over her face unable to contain the enjoyment, the tantalizing feeling.

His breath touched just beneath her belly button and the phone's shrill of importance shattered the atmosphere abruptly. Both froze and than she felt him withdraw from her.

She tried to ignore it. She sat up, finding his face.

"Let it ring.."

"Hmm...maybe it's important."

"Not more important than you...than this...I just want to stay like this forever, in the dark with you."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke again.

"I wanted to tell you something...the truth."

"The truth?"

He sighed, the phone continue to cry for attention.

"You can tell me anything..."

"I know that I can...and if I were just a man, hiding mundane worries or secrets...I'd come to you like my best friend, come to you and show you every scar but. I am not a normal man, I don't suffer from those things..."

She cupped his jaw and tried to find his eyes. His voice was so soft and gentle it hardly seemed like him.

He was hurting and a stab of pain touched her chest and made her worry hard for him.

She all but climbed in between his legs.

Pressing their faces together she desperately tried to find those liquid captivating eyes. She had always adored them the moment she laid eyes on them. Those eyes set him apart from most men, the fathomless look of them.

They were quite unnatural on his face.

"You can tell me..." She coaxed, on her knees between his legs. One of his hands came to a rest on her hip bone and he braced his fingers. Clinching and unclinching thoughtfully.

"I...I don't feel normal...I can't. Walking around this town...being around my mother...I can't get a handle on things, I don't know how to fuckin act, how to feel. Every time someone looks at me the wrong way, every time someone bumps into me-I...want to..." he sighed. "...I don't know what's wrong with me, I think maybe I can't live in this world, maybe this isn't my life anymore..."

Sakura shook her head.

"You were in war for years, your mind is still...programed to fight and it takes a little adjusting, this was bound to happen. Don't count yourself out...things have changed since you and I were teenagers. Some people don't realize that you've been through things that they would never be able to wrap their minds around. You're so strong...so brave...thank you for coming back to me.."

"You made me that way...without the hope of ever meeting you, I'd be gone forever...I'd be nothing. I survived because I wanted you, I wanted you so bad...I still do, even though I have you it's not enough. I don't know what to do...except run away with you."

_Run away with me..._

"What the hell did you do to me?" he chuckled.

Sakura simply hugged him to her and smiled with tears in her eyes.

Her heart was sore but it was happiness, not pain. After all of the events today this had to be the one thing that didn't discourage her. This had to be the one moment she lived all her life hoping to be trapped in.

If everyday could be she and Itachi holding each other in the dark. She die and live in hell re-acting this moment again and again.

"We should go?"

She laughed, even though it hurt because she was crying.

"Where?"

She asked him, chasing the lines of scars underneath the fabric of his shirt.

Everything was so deep and lengthy.

Feeling that he had been hurt, that anyone would cut him up made her feel sorry.

He shrugged.

"Where ever the hell we want...just you and I...like we talked about."

"Why the sudden urgency to leave...you just...got back."

"Why not, you always said...you hated it here."

"I was a stupid kid."

She couldn't just up and leave, she had family...friends and a job. She had...reasons.

"What about your mother..."

"She's done her job...I've lived to be old enough to take care of myself...to start a family of my own."

Sakura felt her skin grow itchy at the thought of the word family, as in the whole SHA-BING. Her heart throbbed and she was more terrified than she would have thought about the idea of herself being pregnant and married.

She had always looked forward to things like this but she didn't think she'd get a chance with the love of her life. Thoughts like that had always ended up to be a horrible nightmare the moment she realized they would never happen and yet here was the opertunity and instead of agreeing to it immediately she was stuck in the balance.

Wedged in between two horrible emotions for two different people. The other which had caught her by surprise.

She hugged Itachi tighter.

"Who hurt you...who did this?"

She whispered into him instead.

For several minutes there was no response, he allowed her fingers to roam the scars on his back, the crevices and welted flesh beneath him. Sakura almost thought he wouldn't answer.

A moment later he placed his head against her chest.

"No one can ever hurt me like you..." he said softly.

"Yesterday you were bleeding, you should let me look at it."

"Sakura, enough..."

The phone began to shrill again and with a groan of irritation Itachi stood up and found it in the kitchen.

She assumed he examined the ID.

"It's your father..."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"well good ol dad and his perfect timing...I don't want to talk to him."

"could be important."

"Could be a warning before he comes barging through the door again trying to kill you."

Itachi chuckled.

"Maybe but...here...atleast see what the hell he wants."

"I can assure you, he won't be sporting ItaSaku t-shirts anytime soon." she joked.

The phone rang again and Sakura rushed towards it angrily. She yanked it up out of Itachi's hand and pressed the 'talk' button. She crushed it to her ear.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"

She screamed, awaiting an explanation. No one responded for a moment, there was a vague buzz in between.

"WELL!...AREN'T YOU GOING TO POISON ME WITH YOUR WISDOM OF BEING LONELY, TELL ME I SHOULD FOCUS ON MY CAREER...TELL ME WHO TO LOVE, WELL DAD?"

She broke off hoarsely.

"Sakura Haruno?"

She froze from her rampage and cleared her throat at the sound of a voice she had never heard before, it wasn't her fathers.

The voice was too official.

Sakura felt her heart sank.

"Yes...this is she, who are you, where's my father?"

The man was quiet for a moment and then he sighed gravely.

"Your father, he passed away...I'm sorry."

_W-what..._


	31. From You to Me

_Sakura, _

_I know right, we're past letters and yet I leave you one every time we have to leave each other. _

_I'm sorry about your father. I know you wouldn't admit it to anyone but you still care, you still love him and that doesn't make you weak. _

_That makes amazing, almost as amazing as me. :}_

_I also know you hate him but it wouldn't be fair to hate him for trying to protect you. _

_Last night, you asked me about my scars. _

_How I got them._

_People have always seen them, looked at them but no one has ever been rude enough to demand an answer. Lol. _

_I don't do well with questions, don't get me wrong, I like to talk about myself...but only when I know the answer makes me look good. _

_I'm not so good with scars and the memories they dredge up. In fact, if I could I'd rip out every bad memory just to get a good nights rest._

_Don't like thinking about shit like that...but, I guess. I can tell you. _

_When I was younger my parents didn't always see eye to eye. _

_My father tortured my mother and because I was scared I never interfered, the problem always seemed much bigger than me. _

_I mean, what the hell could I do?_

_One day, my brother and I were watching T.V downstairs and my mother screamed. _

_My father was probably beating her for something she had done or didn't do. _

_We never knew the cause, just that it happened often. _

_Being the eldest brother I had gone through this enough to ignore it or trick myself into trying. My younger brother on the other hand, he was scared but_

_he wasn't like me. _

_He couldn't ignore the sounds of our mothers pain and suffering. _

_That day he reached a point where I couldn't talk him out of it. I ran up the stairs to stop him but it was too late. _

_The damage was done when I arrived. _

_My brother was laid out on the bedroom floor with a busted nose. _

_That was the first time I had ever wanted to destroy someone completely, before I knew it I was all over my father trying to claw out anything. _

_I wanted to see blood, I wanted him to die but...he was stronger. _

_Angrier than me. _

_I don't know what my mother had done but he was the devil and once he had kicked my screaming mother out of the room. _

_He burned me...burned words into my back that I never knew the meaning to. _

_The pain I felt that day, I wanted to die...cried so much-I just wanted it to end but it never did. _

_I was in hell Sakura..._

_Everything hurt and life seemed so fucked up to me._

_Ever since then, he unleashed every means of torment on me and you know what..._

_I wouldn't trade any of that pain because it kept the only two people that I loved safe. _

_No regrets..._

_I'm sorry, maybe, I went to far._

_I'll see you later._

_-Itachi_

* * *

"Yes Tsuande, you called for me..."

Sakura entered the head doctors office with a hard knock and then stepped forward, a thick stack of patient files tucked under her arm. She smiled vacantly and it didn't take long for the blond elder women to read the anxiety in her face.

"I appreciate your work ethnics and how much time your putting into your patients these days, it's a lot to take on...you'd have to be crazy to invest so much time into work, especially with the work that we do..."

Sakura nodded at her mentor and smiled stiffly.

"It's my job." was all she responded with a loose shrug.

"How are you lately?"

"Same as usual, I'm dedicated...I don't have much of a life as you can see."

Tsunade gave her a piercingly thoughtful look and let loose a, 'hmph'.

"Well I suppose most employers would see that as something reliable but, I see it an entirely other way...this entire week, you've been working your ass off on crazy schedules and I can't have you slaving...there may come a time when you'll be needed for something greater and if your expended how the hell am I going to get anything done?"

Sakura grinned a little and raked back her hair.

"I'll be fine."

"...and I believe you but Sakura, take a few day's off...we have enough staff to cover in and if someones life is in any real danger I'll consider calling you but now that I'm back I'm putting you on call."

"...what...you can't do that...I don't mind working night shifts Tsunade, it works out since I haven't been getting much sleep lately thanks to the demon lord."

The busty blond women's eyebrows twitched as she repeated the women's accusations.

"Akuma-nushi?...seriously, out of all the things you could blame insomnia on you blame it on that?"

"I'm cursed." Sakura said doubtlessly with a careless shrug, head tipping over, hair falling over her brows.

Tsunade sat back in her recliner office chair and brought her feet up, slamming them down and crossing them on top of her desk.

"I don't believe in curses, everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as Akuma-nushi..it's just an old Leaf legends parents used to scare their children about. I never thought there was a kid dumb enough to believe all of that hooblah..until now." She raised a brow at Sakura.

Sakura glowered at her and then sighed.

"Maybe your right."

Tsunade's head lulled back and she touched the tips of her fingers to her forehead.

"Go home, kick your feet up Haruno...you deserve it, for holding down the fort while I was gone...your alright in my book, you remind me of myself at your age...maybe a bit more preserve and conflicted but I can tell a hot blooded women, real recognizes real and you're going to blossom out wonderfully."

"Blossom..."

Tsunade's eyes wandered to the young girls eyes and Tsunade sighed.

"Your too cute and young to behave so strung up...your going to loose your mind, your going to get tired of being rational and your going to explode into a thousand emotions and probably break a few rules. It's like having a teenage daughter. If you hold her back for too long, once she's on her own she is going to be tit's out and legs opened on the cover of play boy or worse. I was a wild women when my mother let me loose, I fooled her on many occasions. I behaved while she was around but when she was away I did the dirtiest things...I was addicted to freedom, obsessed with this women inside me that I never knew. Ease into her little and then you'll be able to control her...because if you keep her hidden, she is going to lash out in the worse way and hurt a lot of people...okay."

Sakura looked into her eyes and it felt like she was speaking from a kind of experience. The pink haired women nodded and swallowed hard.

"Your taking a month off, is that clear."

"...WHAT!"

"A month Sakura...it's your time to grieve and your time to relax because when I put you back to work I want you fully recharged and ready and I won't take any resistance as an answer...I will not let you bury yourself in work to distract you from the things that need to be tended to and grief is not something to play with."

"I'm not grieving." Sakura stated in a hard tone.

"Not yet."

"Not ever, my father he was a deceitful...lying...lonely man who wanted to drag me down with him...what is there to grieve?" She lied rolling her eyes.

Tsunade only stared at her.

"Was he always that way...there must've been a time when your father wasn't the man you came to know, a time when things were simpler and your relationship wasn't complicated."

Sakura looked down at her feet, she wiggled her toes beneath their encasement and recalled her fathers laughter in her ears when she was younger. There was a time when he didn't care about work or money. He was all about his two favorite girls.

_Mom and I..._

She smiled bitterly thinking on the times when she looked up to her father and worshiped him like any daughter would.

She looked to him when her mother denied her request and she cried on his shoulder every time she had fallen off her back or something unfortunate happened to her.

_I really loved you...I loved you so much that it killed me when you started to change..._

She noticed that it was during the time of the divorce. He was always so strict and moody. He was a savage during the split up to her mother...and once she had thought she even saw him drag her down the stairs by her hair but both of her parents denied that again and again every time she spoke about it, they spun up this mega lie about her mother falling down the stairs.

_I remembered thinking that if love was like this, I wanted no part in it...if love was this insane I didn't want to deal with it. You and mom...you two were scary when I was younger. Mom wasn't as blithe and vibrant as she is now. She was one of those women, who screamed and cursed remorselessly at you...she ignored me on most days...but now, she annoys me with her constant new found power of texting and technology. _

_You stayed the same, to the end. Bitter and hateful...I never even got to hope that you'd be the man I use to follow when I was younger._

_Remember the time when we made mom that feet print pie for mothers day...I wasn't really supposed to put my feet in there but I did and you forgot to mention that to mom. I don't remember my toes being clean that day and for the life of me I couldn't understand why you kept laughing after every bite she took. I was the dumbest kid on the block, I actually got butt-hurt that you thought my pie was something to laugh about._

_I miss that laugh, I haven't heard it in forever...and I'll never hear it again and I shouldn't have never let it get that far._

_I should have never forgotten the way you were..._

It hit her hard, the overwhelming situation of being gone. Leaving someone was one thing, living all the way across the planet was one thing but being gone, where you couldn't come back ...where your feet no longer bounded you to the earth and your name was used in past tense that meant you were gone, forever.

Sakura nodded towards Tsunade.

"It's getting pretty late."

"I'll say. It's twelve in the morning, don't you have a young man to be getting home to?"

Sakura stared at her for a moment with a little panic and then realized that she was completely oblivious about Itachi, she was just curious if Sakura had, in fact shacked up with someone.

Sakura thought about Itachi and how it's been since they've reunited. Itachi seemed to be on the move quite a lot lately. He was trying to make a mark on the world again and prove to Sakura that he could be just as successful as herself. He didn't say it but she could tell he was competing, because he wanted to take care of her, to aid her if she should fall ill or can't do things for herself.

_You were wrong about Itachi dad...he is a perfect man and I'm glad I waited from him, he was worth every second I've waited and I can't ask for anything better...there is nothing better than him._

She thought about how he had tried to be there for her lately even though she had claimed that she was completely fine he still came over to watch movies with her and cuddle in the living room with Hiko or he bought her some chinese take out and they'd lay out in the field beneath the stars and drift off to sleep.

There were times when she knew that she peeved him, where she began to test his patience and see that angry side of him but she had never seen enough of it to burn her permanently.

_He is a man after all._

Still she couldn't help but to feel a little odd talking about his brother with him, she may have given him the illusion that she had never met Sasuke before. Itachi spoke regrets about his brother, about how he shouldn't have just gone off to war without making sure he was alright. He shared fond memories of a younger Sasuke who had a kind heart and cared deeply about their family. Sakura felt her heart warm up to Sasuke and she began to understand more and more of why he is the way he is but it still wasn't enough to get the complete picture.

Sakura bowed her head slighly and worked up the energy to grin at her mentor.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama..."

Tsunade smiled and closed her eyes.

"Have a nice night Dr. Haruno, tomorrow if your still interested the Hokage and the Kaze will be about the hospital. I'm very regretful that you couldn't meet them before, with all of the press there wasn't enough time for an introduction. I can't say it won't be the same this time but it's worth a try right."

Sakura smirked.

"I'll stop by..."

"I'm glad to hear."

Sakura nodded.

"So are there any leads on the rouge?"

Tsunade shook her had.

"His trail is bone dry, the police from broth cities are hard at work trying to find anything they can but the only proof they have so far is that he had an accomplice. They think one of the terrorist are in Konoha undercover..."

Sakura frowned.

"That's creepy."

"I've got to hand it to them, their whole no soldier left behind mentality is pretty endearing but they've got to be plump dumb to think they're going to get away with their treason."

"...what's stopping them though, from pulling this off?"

"Absolutely nothing but being in a place this small they're bound to slip up and when they do...it's endgame."

Sakura cleared her throat and almost laughed at Tsunades dedication to catching the fugitive. She was so passionate and loyal to her city, she had always been Sakura's role model.

A women who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and talk endless shit.

_So badass.._

It was like one of those, when I grow up I wanna be just like you moments, the first time she witnessed her mentors unwavering strength and good will.

_Sure she could be a bitch on most days but bitches spoke the truth and if doing that makes anyone a bitch then, I guess I'll join the club._

"Well I hope your right."

Tsunade smiled.

"Get outta here and watch the news some time."

Sakura smiled.

"I'll try."

* * *

_Itachi, _

_Wow...I just..._

_I don't know what to say. I don't know..._

_I never knew._

_Why do people hurt other people?_

_You didn't deserve that, neither of you did.._

_I can't imagine living through that torment you went through and being sane afterwards. _

_I'm sorry about the tears on the paper HAHA I'm pathetically emotional and I just want to hug you. _

_For years you've had to live with that and there's nothing I could possibly say to make those years go away. _

_I don't know your father but I hate that he did that to you. _

_You were a child, his child and instead of helping you and protecting you from people who would hurt you...he became the face of your pain...the face of your nightmares. _

_This makes my problems look like chicken shit and I know there's no competition. _

_I wish you would have told me sooner._

_I wish I would have known. _

_I wish that I could just take it away from you...and make it better. _

_How can we make it better?_

_I'm thinking of going on vacation for a little while. My job just literally fired me for awhile and I honestly think that if I came to work tomorrow my boss will serve me with a restraining order. _

_Hahahaha. _

_I'm totes serious. _

_I deal with my problems by working...I guess today I'll go on a cleaning binge and spare nothing in my house haha. _

_Or maybe you and I can just get away for awhile, forget about this crazy stuff...we deserve to be happy too...right?_

_Yes, yes we do!_

_Your life is definitely something to celebrate...you are more stronger than I could have ever imagined. _

_How'd I get so lucky?_

_You're my miracle and I couldn't think of anything I could possibly want more than you. _

_I know...everything doesn't seem ok right now but we have something that we didn't have in our past. _

_We have each other and..._

_we're stronger than any challenge._

_With you I'm everything I want to be...and yes, I want what you want._

_I want to get married and I want a family...everything with you..._

_Let's do this...I'm friggan serious.._

_You and me..._

_ItaSaku hahaha_

_-Sakura_


	32. Secrets

**A/N- Man have I been MIA for awhile, well here's a little tease before I delve into the good stuff. Hope you're all having a good weekend!**

* * *

"Well...doctor tits, am I going to live?"

Sakura grimaced and resisted the urge to pound his knee with the hammer again. She rolled her eyes and he disregarded it with a wink, knocking back a shot he had poured for himself earlier.

"For now.." Sakura grumbled.

"WELL! LOOK AT THE TIME." Ino chimed gripping her best friend by her shoulders.

Sakura stared at Sasuke and he stared back genuinely proud about something.

A dark shock of hair hung over his nose and he grinned, lounging back in the chair like an old drunkard.

"A thanks would be nice...after all I should be at home packing but I came here t-"

He chuckled and leaned forward raking his fingers through his hair and messing it.

"I don't recall asking you to come over and play doctor, if I had...you would be wearing less clothes."

Sakura's fist clinched and although her attitude didn't flare to hell, she still felt a tingle of disgust for herself. Usually she would have gone off on him but she couldn't think of a single thing to say to him and that was bad.

Bad wouldn't even qualify for this feeling, no it was much worse than any word could muster.

Ino leaned to the side to examine her face.

"You ok...I'm sorry I made you come.."

"It's ok, I wanted to."

"Did you?" Sasuke asked looking rewarded by her confession.

Sakura was uncertain of how to explain herself. Should she tell him that she was dating his brother. Why should she? It didn't exactly call for him to know, it's not like she and Sasuke had anything going for them other than a sex tape and bad memories.

She shivered at the thought.

Why was she suddenly so guilty.

None of the bewildered thoughts made any sense to her.

She just stood there running through scenarios that didn't make any sense.

Her mouth opened and she froze for several seconds. Ino and Sasuke stared at her with furrowed brows and anticipation. Her mouth suddenly snapped shut and she took a breath.

"What's going on in the noggin?" Ino whispered with a tight lip.

Sakura looked into her glazed blue eyes and than looked at Sasuke.

"I'm going out of town for awhile."

She studied his expression but it didn't change much from the previous. He toiled with the shot glass and stretched out his bare leg, jeans rolled up above his gauzed up leg.

He lulled back and tilted his head, he shrugged.

"Have a good one.."

He answered after several seconds of uncomfortable silence. Lips crushed into one hard line.

Sakura could see something strange in his eyes but he hid it with a careless smirk.

She simply smirked back.

"If you experience more pain...just.." she pulled out a card in her pocket and tossed it onto the table. "...give Karin a call, she seldom does house calls but if it's an emergency-"

"I'll be fine." he interjected acidly. "...when the hell did you start caring anyway?"

Sakura took a deep breath and tried to swallow down the slew of words she'd been swallowing up all afternoon.

"Who said I do, Ino asked me to come look at it."

"I don't need any favors...a little limp never killed anybody."

"Well, you got one anyway." She answered.

His eyelashes were thick for a man and even darker. He unleashed this perplexed look on her for a moment. Ino tugged at her shoulders.

"I've got a call I'll be outside for a moment."

Sakura nodded to let her friend know she was ok. Ino shuffled her way towards the front door.

"Please be civil you two..." she uttered on her way out.

Once the door closed behind her Sasuke scoffed.

"Where is he taking you?"

"Who..."

He laughed.

"You didn't think I was stupid enough to not know...I know everything."

Sakura swallowed and hugged herself.

"We dunno yet."

"You don't know or you're not going to tell me."

"Why do you even care?"

"I don't but for the sake of conversation it would be nice to know."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You're such-" she hissed at him poking her index finger into his chest.

"An asshole? A bother...An option...let me have it.." he said quietly with a certain amount of pleasure on his face. Sakura hated the smug look on his face, the way he got into her mind and made her feel completely foolish and lost.

She tossed her hands up and twisted away from him.

"You're ridiculous...if you think that you got to me.."

"You're the only one who doesn't see that you're ridiculous. It's plain to see that I got to you and yet you keep denying it...faithfully it seems. I dunno what's more pathetic this or that night...in this very kitchen when you thought I was him."

"What..."

"I guess you could say I always knew but that didn't stop me from messing around with you."

"WHAT?!"

"...no worries, our dirty little secret." He placed his index finger in front of his lips and winked at her. Sakura stared at him with wide eyes and a terrified heart.

Sasuke had been the wild card she always knew she'd encounter and somehow that made everything seem much more worse.

Secrets in relationships didn't hold up well and one as big as this one would completely sever everything she and Itachi had built up over the years.

She had always thought Sasuke resembled Itachi but she didn't think about it much or maybe she just didn't want to.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone could pretend like sense didn't apply to them.

Who could be blamed for something they didn't know?

But deep down in her gut.

She supposed she always knew as well.

"What do you want from me?" She inquired, staring at his bare foot.

He took a deep breath.

"That necklace around your neck, it doesn't belong to you...I want it."


	33. Heart

She laughed at him, tugging at the charm around her neck. She bit her lip and tilted her head.

"Yours? I have a hard time believing that, being that Itachi sent this to me years ago."

"...still doesn't change the fact of tradition. Which states that, only after marriage the gift may be worn. If it's worn before than the wearer is destined nothing but heartache."

"So based on superstitions the pendent belongs to you, so your going with that...really? That's bullshit and when it comes to you it doesn't surprise me the least bit!"

He smirked challengingly at her and stood weakly to his feet, leaning into the table for support.

"It's not just a superstition, popular to disbelief that's one legend from my fathers clan that isn't utter shit. Ask my mother...and if she were alive you could ask my ex wife."

Sakura almost choke on a swallow.

_Ex-Wife...Sasuke...the words didn't even sound probable. _

She furrowed a brow.

"She died with it on..." he informed her thoughtfully with his eyes closed. He grimaced and his hair fell from the top of his head like the black feathers of a raven. Slowly his eyes opened, thick lashes rising high and than lowering to slits.

Sakura froze from tugging on the pendent and let it fall against her collar. Her throat felt restricted from another breath and the thought that the last person wearing the necklace had died and been married to Sasuke turned her heart sore.

She wasn't sure if she should be sorry or angry at him and everything became increasingly more complicated.

Her heart had always wavered in the balance for Sasuke but in that uncontrable silence between the both of them she hated herself for not being able to just admit to the feelings she knew she had for him.

If it had been any one else she was sure it wouldn't have been that big of a deal but because of everything that's happened between the both of them she felt the need to be better than him, to prove to herself that she didn't want men like him.

Men who were self destructive and not going anywhere but down in life.

Maybe this was the part of herself her father had implanted in her.

A defense mechanism that had always been imbued within her but it always made her feel dirty, and the closer she got to Sasuke the more she felt like she should run away from him and his way of thinking.

"I didn't know..." She informed him meekly.

"It's not like he would have mentioned that to you, it would've murdered the romance, wouldn't it? He was trying to woo you not creep you the hell out. He took it from me, mother gave it to me to give to her..."

She felt the need to defend Itachi. She felt the urge to argue with him and tell him that his ex-wife was gone and that Itachi probably thought the necklace was of better use to someone still breathing.

She chastised herself realizing how heartless that sounded in her mind and it would be even more devastating to say out loud, being swallowed up in the void that now hung thickly over their heads.

The hatred in her chest rolled like thunder and she couldn't quite figure out what to do with herself. Her lip trembled and she sighed trying to think rationally. The pendent was such a weight on her neck. She felt unbalanced without it, like life centered around that tiny promise.

She wasn't just going to give it up without a fight. Least of all to Sasuke of all people.

"Since the moment I met you I've wanted to rip it off your lying neck...you're not his, even when you thought you were, you weren't."

She laughed without much humor.

"Excuse me?..."

She scowled at him and began to yank on the pendent once more.

He stared at her simply and than began to advance toward her with that slight limp.

Sakura eyed him dubiously.

She tensed up to try and stagger backwards but her legs were bolted to the ground, her eyes couldn't possibly stray from his smoky leer. His bare feet dragged across the kitchen floor and Sakura began to toil with the pendent once more.

Heartbeat drowning out her furious thoughts.

"It just kills you to know...that you want me, doesn't it?"

She felt a tickle in her chest and laughed breathlessly.

"Your awfully full of yourself, as usual. Maybe it's an Uchiha thing."

He didn't smile. His face was bereft of his usual humor.

"You're just like her..." he simply said. "...just like her sometimes it's infuriating the way you make me..."

"Her?"

Although she had a feeling he was talking about his dead wife. He froze in front of her and than his fingers touched her knuckles. She stared into those sad eyes of his that she had seen earlier and wondered what it must be like to be Sasuke Uchiha.

She could hear the sigh spewing from his lips.

The pressure of his fingertips on her knuckles as his soft fingers melted around her fist.

"Sak-"

The door slamming made both of them jump and a cold pushed through and broke them apart.

Sakura stumbled backward and Ino came through in a rustle of heavy coat and keys.

"Any survivors in here?" She inquired, keenly examining both of them.

Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes.

"Get out." he said to both of them.

Sakura watched him twist around with a slight skip and walk off rapidly to the only bedroom down the hall.

Ino hissed behind her.

"What's his problem?"

"Everything..." Sakura answered after a lingering moment of thought.

"He's always been that way, no amount of pussy can ever change that tude."

Sakura began to retrieve her bandages and tool kit, reflecting on the conversation she and Sasuke had.

She could sense that their was some tension between he and Itachi but she couldn't understand why Itachi hadn't mentioned that his brother had ever had a wife. Sasuke of all people, committed to one woman.

She must've been the sleaziest of them all...she must've been a she-devil.

_Your just like her..._

_She must've..._

_Been crazy._

Or maybe that's just me.

"You ok forehead?"

Sakura didn't confirm or deny it she just shrugged.

"Did you know he used to be married?"

"Uhhh, yeah it's ancient history..."

"H-how did she die?"

"Hmm there's not much about her that I know, Sasuke kind of hid the girl but I read in the obituary that she had been shot in the heart...did he tell you about her?"

"Not really."

"Ya."

"What was she like?"

"Hmmm, of the two times I met her...she was polar opposite. The first time she was a wild woman, half naked in the bar hanging off Sasuke. The second time she was cooking dinner...a strange girl."

"So, nothing like me...right."

Ino laughed with uncertainty and touched her best friend on the shoulder. She peered deeply into her eyes.

"You ok?"

"Was she anything like me?"

Ino shook her head.

"No...why would you think that?"

Sakura shook her head and sighed with an ounce of relief.

"You kind of favor the girl, your hair and your eyes but...I know you inside and your nothing like her but than again I never really knew her but I'm sure...Sasuke, whatever he said is just fucking with your head. He's just as sick as his father sometimes don't let it bother you."

But as much as she tried to brush it off.

The reality of everything she just took in, couldn't be swallowed away by comfort.


	34. Brothers

**A/N- Hello to those whom are still reading. Only a few more chapters to go before I close the book on this one. All things will be answered, if you have any questions just inbox me. I would like you all to not assume its an ItaSaku or a SasuSaku at this point it can go either way but who knows. Yes, I did change the story from the original one I posted years ago. I'd like to think it's better this time. Anyway thank you for reading, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. For once it's not a cliff hanger and I really enjoy your reviews you make me much more invested in the mystery and in time all things will be revealed. Thanks for stickin with me peeps ;) have a good weekend! ^_^**

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_...how could the necklace belong to him?_

The tap water crashed into the soapy bucket in the sink and she began to rub at the foamy suds with a dishcloth. So absorbed in her thoughts she barely noticed that moment that Itachi had come up behind her and taken possession of her thoughtless motions.

His lengthy silky hair crawled over her shoulders as he towered behind her, the arousing smell of his body wash mingled with that of hers. His hair had been damp from the shower still.

She didn't bother to fight for control, falling in his trans and letting him take the reigns, she smirked listening to him hum a peacefully into her ear. His head tilted and she shrunk away with a small giggle.

"Ever thought of cutting your hair?" she inquired curiously, as he began to force her hips into a sway with him, humming louder as if he wouldn't dare answer that question.

She loved everything about him. His voice, his eyes, the way that he looked at her, the way that they lay awake for hours talking about things that most people wouldn't waste a fraction of a second thinking about.

It had been them, the them in the letters but better because neither of them were hurting.

Everything was whole, everything was impossibly good and somehow that did nothing to reassure her that this serenity could last.

"That's like asking a guy to get a vasectomy...are you trying to traumatize me?"

Sakura chuckled.

"That doesn't even come close, it's just hair..."

"Jealous?"

"Of course not, I love your hair, it's rare and exotic but I was just wondering if you ever thought of cutting it."

He reflected quietly on the question for a few seconds and than pulled a scorched sterling pan from the sea of foamy suds.

"Your sounding more and more like the devil woman, Delilah, you know she seduced Samson and caused his demise."

"Really you're comparing us to a biblical figure, that's what we're going with?"

"When I was younger both my brother and I had long hair, my mother gave us the option to either keep it or cut it and I choose to imagine that it gave me strength. I never thought of cutting it..." he paused. "...in my fathers clan a man with long hair was a man of strength and honor, if I lose it I lose the years it took for it to grow and me to grew along with it."

Sakura nodded her head, it was a pretty legit excuse and she had always liked to hear things about this ancient clan of his ancestors. Not many people in Konoha connected with their past like Itachi had and that had been one of the things that was undeniably sexy to her.

His knowledge of heritage always amused her.

"Delilah." he joked, kissing the top of her head. "...don't try anything stupid."

She smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it, how else would I treat you like my slave without your long tresses to pull on."

His lips curled into a devilish smile on her cheeks and he bit her, his arms encircling her waist warmly. Sakura was swallowed up into a hug and she couldn't help but to melt into it helplessly.

Her heart throbbed wildly and there was no faking this feeling of happiness threatening to overcome her.

She felt like a child hyped on caffeine. Itachi picked her up and twirled her around like a rag doll and she laughed in his arms, trying to latch her arms around his neck.

Hiko scurried into the kitchen and watched their fray of motion curiously.

Sakura noted that the cat had probably been jealous with the amount of attention Itachi had been pouring towards her.

She smiled down and stuck out her tongue jokingly and Hiko dropped down with a bored expression as if to say, 'I'll just wait for my turn.'

_You're such a character, ya damn cat.. _

The tap still running, Itachi placed her down on her toes and fell to one knee.

Sakura's heart felt as though it had been sliced in two. A sharp pain of excitement tackled her and she felt like the air was knocked out of her.

"Ita..." she began and than a horrifying moment later she realized he was just motioning to Hiko and not about to propose to her.

She wanted to laugh but the intense emotion spiraling through her made it hard for her to do much else but stare down at him. He scratched Hiko behind the ears and the cat opened it's legs wholeheartedly.

"Whore..." Sakura murmured and Itachi laughed.

"I have that effect on pussies." he boasted in a breathy low.

Sakura rolled her eyes and spun around to stop the tap.

"Do you, I haven't noticed." she joked.

"You should introduce us."

The pink haired women smirked and felt a nervous itch engulf her skin. She tried to restrain herself from laughing and twisted around again, right into that sinful gaze of his.

"Hmmm...you're so strange Itachi Uchiha."

He shrugged off her comment charmingly.

"Since we're not sparing feelings, I should tell you that you're a hoarder."

Her lips trembled and she laughed louder.

"Of what?"

"Of paper, I think it's time for an intervention." He joked.

She couldn't restrain the smile that split her dry lips. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and tasted a slither of blood.

"Whatever."

"Just like a paper hoarder to dismiss the seriousness of this shit." he continued, standing to his feet and holding out his arms. "Come here...I'm here for you, we'll fix this together."

She played along with the joke falling into his hard chest and listening to him sigh.

"I help it. A sheet of paper is what brought me to the love of my life, I-I can't...throw anything away." she exclaimed dramatically.

A moment ticked away and the both of them laughed.

Itachi tensed up and lowered himself. Hoisting up Sakura, pulling her legs up over his bare hips, he held her without a single shiver of exhaustion or fatigue. Sakura closed her eyes, running her fingers down the prominent cuts of muscle that dented his back. The scars were so dart that she could barely distinguish them from their shadows.

Her fingertips fingered every scar that they could reach before she hugged him tight again, burying her face into his neck.

"Did your mother give you this necklace?"

"Hmmm, well, the first born is always the first to get everything but when I was younger I thought it was a dumb thing to inherit so I gave it to my younger brother."

"How did you get it back?"

"I didn't, my mother had two."

"Two..."

"Two lovers, two sons...two proposals."

Up until that point Sakura opened her eyes and stared into the living room. She understood what he was saying but she couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe it because it didn't make any sense to her.

"My family tree is a bit complicated, just as more so as my family itself. Secrets, lies, murder...we could be the modern day mafia you know, if the man I used to think had been my father was alive. I don't know if I could put you through that."

"So...you and your brother..."

"My father had a brother whom is my brothers father."

"Your mother..."

_Slept with your father and his brother._

"Crazy, right."

"That's the understatement of the year...more like novella...more like epic taboo"

"Do you need to lay down?"

She laughed.

"No, I just-I...so who did this...to your back?"

"Madara Uchiha, he's my brothers father...the man I've known most of my life, whom I cam to call father but what a lie that was."

"What happened to your father?"

When he hadn't answered, Sakura figured he probably wouldn't. That it was something he couldn't bring himself to admit to her but with a deep breath he confessed.

"Madara killed him."

Her blood froze and she held him even tighter feeling his skin get hot. He was frozen stiff like a rock holding her up.

"I'm sorry."

"I never knew him...there's nothing to be sorry about, I just wish my mother told me...now I know why Madara hated her, he hated me the most...I wasn't his child. I was the epitome of my mothers affair with his brother. He wanted me dead and I always thought he would kill me."

"When did you find this out...?"

"Today actually."

"How?"

"I've been doing my digging for awhile but let's just say the pieces finally came together."

"This is crazy."

"...none of it matters."

"What?...you were beaten, you were abused...yo-"

"If my life had gone any other way, I might have missed out on you...nothing is more important than you, lets...not talk about it."

He cut through her like a dagger. His voice was weak and she wondered what must be going through his mind. It certainly must be a mess in his mind, parts of his childhood scrambled in every direction. Being hated for a reason he wasn't sure of.

She had the feeling that Itachi was more messed up than he led her to believe. With a past like that, how could he be perfectly fine. His past had left it's marks mentally and physically.

Placing a kiss to his neck she held him and closed her eyes.

"You can tell me anything..." she assured him.

He laughed against her.

"I know, you can too.."

She wanted to inform him that she had told him everything but that would be a lie that she wasn't ready to have on her conscious. Not with all the other lies hopping around in her mind.

She kept looking for a perfect time to tell him about she and Sasuke but there was no perfect time to tell the truth, to tell something that you knew you shouldn't have done.

Guilt was bearable if it meant that she could hang onto him. Itachi had been unpredictable since he arrived and she always felt like the line that connected them was too thin. The slightest motion to turn away and the line would snap and sever her entirely.

She wasn't ready to be without him for even a single day.

She couldn't resist being engulfed in him like this, everything in her apartment danced with color since the day he arrived and she wasn't ready to loose it.

A part of her thought he'd understand but deep down she knew how territorial he'd be and what about Sasuke.

If she told Itachi would he go after him?

Hunt him down and kill him?

Will history repeat itself?

Maybe Mikoto had been just like her, maybe she fell in love and didn't know what to do with herself.

She probably didn't mean for things to get nasty.

For lives to be lost, for children to be hurt...but it happened.

It was in that moment that Sakura decided that she wasn't Miko. She'd never allow Sasuke to kill Itachi or Itachi to kill Sasuke.

She wasn't sure if Sasuke even cared that deeply enough to betray his brother, than again they were estranged brothers neither of them talked much about the other.

She simply shook her head.

It was all too much to think about and the more she examined the similarities of she and Mikoto the more she was sure that she'd leave the town tomorrow with Itachi.

She needed the trip.

The safe heaven.

"Let's go to bed..." Itachi said softly.

"Kay." she whispered.


	35. Give in

**A/N- Tensions...gotta love those. -_- Anyway five more chapters ta go! Thanks for the reviews and support those who are still reading. **

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_This is absolutely ridiculous. _

_I'm not scared...just not confident is all. _

_Ha, since when has that stopped me from anything. _

_Hm?...I'm just dropping off stupid supplies and than farewell to Konoha for awhile. _

_Boss wanted me go, she had better not call me either. _

_I'll be in Summer time city getting the tanniest tan ever, I don't remember when was the last t-_

The chain on the other side of the door came undone, knocking lightly against the closed door before it came ajar with a creak.

Sasuke Uchiha stood behind the door with a carton of Chinese rice in his hand. He looked Sakura's disheveled appearance over and than dug his chop sticks into the pile.

"What's in the bag?" he inquired. "...cos if you're trying to kill me I'd rather we hug it out."

It hadn't occurred to her that she hadn't really inventoried any of the things in the bag, only that she piled scooped what she could into the bag and rushed over to do the last deed.

She rolled her eyes and placed the bag down at his feet.

"You're not going to give Karin a call are you?"

He smirked.

"Nothing get's past you..."

She nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Folding her arms over her chest she sighed.

"I thought I'd just bring you some supplies, just because I don't like you...doesn't mean you should die from an infection."

"Ya, I'd bet if you could you'd snuff me out yourself...you and my brother might have something in common after all."

She couldn't help but to smile, any other emotion would coax him to agitate her even more.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Those darker than night eyes of his made her sway uncertainly but she caught herself before she could fall past the threshold and twisted around.

"Enjoy your summer Sasuke."

A low chuckle touched her ears and she looked over her shoulder.

He licked his lips and sighed, he was crouched in front of the bag looking things over.

"I heal fast, I don't want this shit...you know me better than that."

"Well it's here now, deal with it."

He scoffed.

"If you were coming by to get a fix, you could've just said so...who would expect you to be here with me of all places. We hate each other...except when we're fucking.." he said softly.

She kept her back turned away.

Fury settling in her like an eternal flame.

She shook her head, feeling every strand of her hair move fluently. Taking several deep breaths she tried to talk herself into walking away but for some reason her lips felt the urge to move and defend herself.

To tell him that it was a mistake that both of them should move past.

She twisted around like a wip.

"I love him...me and him, we have history."

No smirk on his face he winced away from the gleaming sunlight and stared her dead in the eye.

"I don't want your heart..." he said to her quietly, the voice didn't match the hardness of his jaw, his eyes refusing to break away from her emerald ones. She didn't poses the strength to look away.

The will to fight didn't seem to captivate her.

With rapt fascination she took a step towards him.

"Well I want nothing to do with you." She hissed through her teeth. A crooked smile touched his lips and he stepped down from the steps.

"What's stopping you from walking away..."

"Not you." She spat at him.

He grinned even more, advancing towards her like a crow towards the dead.

She wouldn't back down, wouldn't run away from him as she always would.

Her heart was thunderous in her chest, her stomach felt like a tickle in her stomach. Chest heaving, she almost felt breathless.

She could smell Itachi's scent on her skin, the spices of him flooding her nostrils just before Sasuke's scent mingled and interfered. He was a breath away from her suddenly. Towering over her with that simple look that he granted most things.

"Than go." he urged leaning forward threateningly.

She turned her head away from his face and felt his body press against hers.

_Why are you such an asshole!...what is your freaking problem._

Most people had probably wondered the same things about him, amongst other theories. She had managed to be the only one without a theory of the real Sasuke Uchiha. She was certain that there was a depth to him that most couldn't conceive but she was beginning to see that can of worms splatter out all over the sidewalk they now stood in.

Not many people dwelled in the area. Aside from the sparse dash of neighborhood cars the area was vacant of any witnesses to what just might be a fight.

Rage just seemed to bubble in the pit of her stomach and work it's way up to her last nerves.

"No?" he asked quietly, his eyes seemed a little crazy looking down on her and she was sure him cool exterior was crumbling.

Why?

He was clearly losing his mind.

He pushed her lightly, she nearly fell backwards and cracked her head on the pavement.

"What the fuck!" she yelled at him, pushing him back.

He stumbled backwards with a calm grin on his face.

She kept forward, pushing him again and again.

"You've got the nerve to touch me! What. the. hell. do. you. want. me. to. do!"

The last push she applied every ounce of energy to. Breath wild, light strands of bond and peach hair sticking to her pasty face.

For a moment he didn't respond. Her heavy breathing hung over them and he unleashed his gaze onto the cars flying through the streets.

"...the first time I touched you, I wanted to fuck you into pieces and leave you broken. That's my flaw, I value broken things...and sometimes those things break me. You seemed so happy that night...but you're a two way glass...I can see straight through you, to the bone. You were lonely, like me...expected to be a good girl but you're not. You lie to yourself, lie that you don't want the things that other people look down on...you're an idiot if you think you're better than me because you hide it better."

She swallowed hard and shook her head in denial.

He stepped menacingly towards her and reached out to grab her cheek firmly.

Dark lashes so long, eyes so cloudy.

She wasn't sure how she could possibly ignore him when he was this close, demanding her absolute attention.

"You don't think...we could be happy, that we could be functional?"

She nudged her head away from his hold but he gripped her face in both his hands and forced her to look him in the eye.

_What the hell.._

She had no where to look but forward.

His smell engulfed her in it's danger and she fell into a bewildered stupor, where life outside that hold just didn't seem to gain much of her attention.

She felt absolutely speechless and thoughtless hearing his blatant confessions.

"N-No..."

His thumbs massaged the small strands curling strands of hair that shaped her face. His grip was so hard and final that she was afraid he would snap it. His eyes were so low and glazed she thought that maybe he had been doing some drugs.

It wouldn't have surprised her.

Than he came in swiftly, head tilted and crushed his lips to her.

"MMMhhh!"

His fingers melted forcibly into her hair. She placed her palms flat to his hard chest and with all her might tried to push him off. He didn't budge, not even a little so she punched at his chest, hoisting a knee or two towards his groin.

He caught her thigh and pulled her up against him.

Their mouths wielded together and she snapped her teeth down to bite his lip but his tongue delved deeply into her mouth and sucked on hers. His fingers rolled down her back and he groaned against hers.

She felt something wet brush against her cheek and didn't want to even think about what was happening.

Her mind couldn't seem to draw up anything.

Sasuke's tongue persuasively danced down her collar bone. Her eyes rolled back as she stared at the azure blue sky, swaying against his body.

He began to suck lightly on her throat.

Her stomach felt fluttery and weak.

Sasuke paused and looked her in the eye.

"...say no.."

She thought it was an odd request being that they had already just basically tongued one another down but a moment later she understood.

"No." she said softly.

"...you can tell him that you fought..."

Without another word he gripped her hand and began to tow her towards the front door of his apartment.

Following behind him, she could hardly think straight.

A mess of emotions; excitement, fear and something she couldn't read tickled her sensitive flesh and she wondered what was wrong with her but the more she tried to decipher it the harder it was face.

It was hard to believe it but she knew it all along.

_I love him..._

She felt the hot tears welting in her eyes, burning her scornfully.

_I love them both. _

She knew that sudden revelation should have scared her but it wasn't spoken out loud and Sasuke didn't know.

His fingers held hers tightly.

A tantalizing tingle ran whispers down her spine and guiltily she looked over her shoulder just to make sure that someone wasn't spying on her by chance but even as she looked, she knew that as long as she knew what was about to happen.

She would never sleep another peaceful night again.


End file.
